East of WMR

We toured east from WMR to assess mid-elevation conditions in the southern Whitefish Range.

• We did not feel or hear any collapses or see any shooting cracks.
• The snow surface consisted of a few inches of loose snow on a melt-freeze crust that varied in thickness and hardness (see snowpack section).
• A layer of weak snow is widespread on shady slopes about 25-30 cm below the surface (details in snowpack section). It was not very sensitive to our weight, though we didn't tangle with steep, shady slopes.
• No evidence of freshly-formed wind slabs near ridgelines 6-6500 feet, though we did see a wind-textured surface on the slope most exposed to southwesterly winds.
• We found good dust-on-crust skiing on easterly and southeasterly slopes, where the recent snow sits on a very stout melt-freeze crust. 
• Below about 5500 feet, we encountered spring-like conditions: shallow, sometimes patchy refrozen snow that has shrink-wrapped logs, stumps, and other terrain features. Predictable though bumpy turns.

Our exit required some low-tide Olympics. I'm not sure if we medaled.

 

• A wind-textured surface in the most exposed terrain, but no evidence of wind slabs.
• The snow from the past two days is mostly rimed particles and cohesionless on shady slopes. 
• A crust exists 5-10 cm below the surfeace on all slopes. On shady slopes, it is ~1 cm thick and ~1F-1F+ hard and mostly supportable on skis/ snowboard. On easterly and southeasterly slopes, it is 8-10 cm thick, knife hard, and fully supportable.
• On shady slopes, we consistently found weak snow buried above and below a prominent melt-freeze crust 25-390 cm below the surface. It's composed of small, faceted grains and buried surface hoar. The amount, size and state (preserved or decomposing) seemed to vary greatly. Hand blocks sheared in this snow (both above and below the crust) with moderate to hard force. No propagation in an extended column test (ECTN 21), though it did fail more easily and with a sudden collapse CT 10 SC) in a compression test in the same profile (6300 ft; NW)