Schweitzer (North Ridge)

Quick tour in the southern Selkirks on my day off.

• In the previous 12 hours, this area was subjected to a rapidly climbing snowline and very stong southwest winds.
  
  
• All of the recent snow that fell this week, is now capped by a hard, but breakable crust. This crust exist to at least 6300 feet, but was gradually thinning out and suspected not to exist above about 6600 feet. Below 6000 feet the crust gradually becomes thicker and more supportable.
  
  
• I dug two pits to take a closer look at the snowpack. Pit profiles attached.

One natural storm slab observed. Size R1D1. Estimated release 12/18 overnight.

Today we observed a very different snowpack than the last visit to this area at the beginning of December. Some of the same old interfaces are discernable, but overall snowpack characteristics have changed dramatically.

• The lower third of the snowpack is still warm and moist from the copious aounts of rain that fell more than a week ago.
  
  
• We have recieved 9 inches of settled snow since December 15th. Temperatures have been indecisive throughout that period, so there are are two freezing rain crust within that storm snow. One in the middle, and one very hard crust capping the snow surface.
  
  
• A very steep temperature gradient exist immediately below this new crust, which is promoting facet growth on the underside.