Quick report
Low coverage, Mixed bag of conditions. Definite Persistent Slab problem.
The top 10-15cm/6in of snow would break off in chunks on steep test slopes. These small slabs of snow were failing on facets under a melt-freeze crust. In the afternoon below 7500' my ski turns created rollerballs.Weather
- Air Temp
- 35
- Cloud Cover
- few
- Wind Loading
- none
- Rain Elevation
- N/A
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Increasing clouds throughout the day. Above-freezing temperatures. Wind increased in the afternoon.
Snowpack
I observed a wide variety of conditions: wet slushy snow at low elevations, preserved cold snow on sheltered aspects, a thin sun crust up to 8800', hot pow on a crust, and wind-affected snow.
I observed generally poor snowpack structure in the two pits I dug. Both of them contained crust/facet combos. In the pit I dug on an E aspect at 7300' I did not find basal facets but did find poorly bonded snow below a crust 11cm down. This layer failed on a Compression Test (CT11RP) and initiated but did not propagate on an Extended Column Test (ECTN9). In the second pit on an NE aspect at 8600' I found basal facets that produced alarming results in an Extended Column Test (ECTP4). See video.