Quick report
We traveled in mostly sheltered, shady middle elevation terrain where few or no people had been this year. We did not experience any snowpack collapsing. There was no significant wind-loading where we traveled, although we could hear the wind blowing in upper elevation terrain. At lower elevations, the ugly weak layers buried about 1.5 feet deep are becoming a concern with the ongoing multi-day storm.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 20s
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- light
- Recent Snowfall
- 10-20cm (parking lot at 6700' to 8500' N)
- Snow Avail For Transport
- large amounts
It snowed 2-3" (5-8cm) while we were in the field. Storm totals since last night by 2:30PM = 4" (10cm) in parking lot, 6" (15cm) at summer trailhead at 8000', 8" (20cm) 8400-8600'. Winds were mostly light but picked up around 1:30; then, gusty winds were moving a lot of snow out of the trees in middle elevation terrain.
Snowpack
7150' N (lower elevation, shady): 12/7 and 12/13 SH/FC layers now buried about 45cm deep, obvious stripes in pit wall. ECTP18 on 12/13, 0.5-1cm SH, upper of the 2 obvious stripes, see video and photo. The upper 20cm was F PP/DF.
8000-8600' N-NW: HS=90-105cm in wind-sheltered terrain. Ski pen = 10-15cm, boot pen = 80-95cm (about 10cm off the ground).
Upper half of the snowpack was soft (F and 4F) with intermittent, faint, degrading razor crusts in the upper 30cm (12/25, 12/21, 12/16). Some easy to moderate shears on small column tests on the upper pack weak layers/interfaces, but ECTN or nothing on those layers. They generally lack a slab above them in sheltered terrain.
Midpack: 12/13 was 60-65cm down and presented as FC. ECTN24.
Basal facets: Moist, and the layer is getting quite thin as it gets mechanically compressed. No results in snowpack tests.