Quick report
- Aspect
- Northeast
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2926 m
- Slope Angle
- 30°
Photo 1: Surface hoar
Photo 2: Still thin coverage below 8000'
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>We didn't observe any wind-transported snow today but now that there is soft snow available to drift and a variety of snow surfaces this is the problem we were looking for.</p> <p>Weak snow near the surface exists on shady aspects above 9000'. Small grain near-surface facets buried beneath 2-4 inches of recent snow with 2mm surface-hoar above. HS 80-100cm @9500'. The layer of early season facets near the ground was moist, significantly firmer than areas with a shallower snowpack, and unreactive in our Extended Column Tests. Our PST propagated to the end of the block but broke irregularly instead of through a single layer.</p>
Thick and supportable melt-freeze crust below 8000'. Above 9000' surfaces transition to soft powder snow on shady aspects. Snow surfaces above 9000' were weakening with small near-surface facets developing and surface hoar.