Echo ridgeline

I toured up along Echo ridge to the base of Becker Peak. For the most part there is a wide variety of snow conditions depending on the aspect. Wherever the sun has hit the surface there is a melt freeze crust, or the snow is wet soft and slightly punchy. I found near surface facet formation on truly shaded and protected aspects.  I dug a couple of pits on N aspects. ECT tests were unremarkable at the ground. I did find the graupel layer and did have one result of three ECTs that showed propagation with resistent planar results. This layer is one to keep an eye on in the future. The snow traveled well and was supportable. I found roughly 40-60cm of snow in this area and the snowpack is primarly rightside up with wet basal facets at the bottom. On the way out the snow skied okay even going in and out of sunny and crusty areas.

I dug a couple of pits, one @ 7800' on N aspect and one @ 8000' on NE aspect. Both pits are rightside up with 4F at this surface going down to 1F above the basal facets. I performed some ECTS in both pits to look at the reactivity of the basal facets. The results were unremarkable at the ground, however, there is the same  graupel layer 20cms down that is well intact and presented different results. I had 2x ECTNs, then one ECTP all in the same pit @ 7800. The fracture was planar but resistent and would slide off if I pulled it from behind. The pit at 8000' had ECTN results on this layer. On the shaded aspects there was a melt freeze crust on the surface anywhere the sun hits it; otherwise, NSF growth is starting to grow in any well protected areas.