Quick report
Any recent snow has settled and stabilized significantly the last few days thanks to warm temperatures (diurnal changes) and light wind.
The biggest concern remains the weak snow formed during the month long dry period. We found that the January Drought Layer (JDL) is still preserved and should warrant caution. As this layer gains strength, steeper slopes will be necessary to initiate an avalanche. This layer is buried 50-90cm (20-36") deep below hard 1F slabs. Keep your wits about you, as this is not a typical spring set-up.
Snowpack
Stability tests produced varying results with high strength and no propagation on some slopes, indicating that the JDL is slowly gaining strength. Northerly aspects remain the most suspect as the snow remains cold and dry.
9,000 W aspect: ECTP21 down 55cm on JDL 1mm rounding facets (F hard)
9200' NE aspect (old avalanche crown): ECTP22 down 65cm on surface hoar above 1mm facets (F hard)
9500' N aspect: ECTX down 65cm on JDL 1-2mm facets (4F hard)
9700' NE aspect: ECTP 27 down 76cm on JDL 1mm rounding facets (4F+ hard)
Avalanche
- Size
- D2 R2
- Type
- HS
- Count
- 2
- Aspect
- NE
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 9000 ft
A significant avalanche cycle occured in this area during the Feb 24-25 storm. Natural avalanches included storm and persistent slab avalanches ranging from D1-2, R1-2. Persistent slabs were almost all exclusively N-NE aspects between 8,500-9,500' on more sheltered terrain from the wind. Storm slabs occured on all steep aspects above ~8,500