Quick report
+20" of cold, light snow that in the morning was like a very deep "dust on crust," as we could still feel the firm old snow surfaces. Mitt pits and trench checks showed a 2" graupel layer at the bottom of the new snow, but no signs of instability at that layer - it was moist graupel that was bonding to the snow above and below. On cold slopes, I checked for buried near surface facets but couldn't find any. I believe the warm start to the storm destroyed them at the elevations we traveled (below 8800ft). As the new snow settled throughout the day, it became denser and riding conditions improved, feeling less like deep dust on crust. We saw several D1 natural dry loose avalanches, and got similar results on test slopes. Snowfall rates and wind increased throughout the day. By our departure at 4pm, snowfall rates were +1"/hr.
Natural dry loose avalanches and test slopes that produced similar resultsWeather
- Wind Loading
- light
- Recent Snowfall
- 50cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- large amounts
Partly cloudy morning with increasing clouds until mid-day, then snowfall began and increased in intensity through the afternoon
Snowpack
+20" of new snow