Humphrey's Cirque

A large storm cycle of more than 1" of SWE would possibly cause natural and human triggered avalanches on two layers of concern.  The first is located below the first crust on a layer of near surface facets.  The second is located at the bottom of the snowpack on the layer of depth hoar.  This upper layer is of less concern, as it will likely go through other melt/freeze processes during the next dry spell, and likely the near surface facets will be minimized.  The deeper layer, the depth hoar, continues to persist, and may be a potential problem throughout the month of February.  

Minimal signs of instability. Minor windslab instability of 6 cm. Only other instability noted was on top 6 cm of snowpack, just beneath the upper sun crust.

Overall, snowpack depth in Humphrey's Cirque is variable, ranging between 55 and 120 cm.  Some snow-drifted areas showed depths of 170 cm. 

The upper snowpack consists of up to three melt/freeze crusts.  In some locations, high temperatures have caused the second and third crust to melt together.  The hardest crust is the lower of the three and is at least knife hard in most locations, but can be as hard as ice.  Below the crust is a slab, ranging from 30-50 cms in depth, with one finger hardness.  Below this slab is approximately 20 cm of small-grained (1cm) facets, and below it is anywhere from 5-10 cm of depth hoar.  Overall, the snowpack on more south-ranging slopes is demonstrating poor structure, moderate strength, and medium to high propagation propensity.  

The middle crust is a ripe bed surface, and if it persists and is loaded sufficiently, it would likely release.  The weather forecast suggests that this won't become a problem, but it is a layer that should be monitored carefully.