Girls Mountain

Stable conditions were observed along our entire route, except for one minor failure of a small previously wind loaded test slope.  Despite clear skies overnight faceting of the surface snow was very minimal.  We decided to dig a snowpit at 3600' in an area typically protected from wind to look for a layer of near surface facets on a crust that was buried on 10/22.  This layer has been reported to have previously shown signs of instability closer to the time of burial. It may be responsible for some natural avalanches that occurred earlier in the season.  I was able to identify this layer in this location, it was buried 60 cm down and consisted of 1mm rounding near surface facets on a thin crust.  I targeted the stability of this layer with a propagation saw test and received a stable result of PST END (95/100) down 60 cm.  Overall the snowpack can be considered as having fair-good structure and fair strength.  Fair strength is due to the relatively low moisture content of the snowpack.  Although the snowpack is not currently under much stress, this could change quickly if we receive any significant snowfall in the near future.  It is unlikely that this snowpack could receive a significant load( > 2" SWE) without a sharp decrease in stability along with natural avalanches.

Observed a thin early-season snowpack with lots of exposed brush below 2000' and rocks near the surface on wind exposed ridges.  Surface snow was dry and unconsolidated in low lying areas and slightly wind pressed in others due to the moderate outflow winds on 11/14.  In this location the 11/14 outflow had limited effects with wind slabs only forming on the lee side of wind channeled terrain features with only isolated signs of instability.  Snow pit results at ~3600 found a right side up snowpack (fair-good structure), fair strength, and no propagation in ECT or PST tests (ECTN17 down 30 cms on a density change/ PST END (95/100) down 60 cms on a layer of rounding near surface facets on a crust 10/22.). In an adjacent pit my ski partner got an ECTX.   The height of snow was 115 cm in this location with basal facets 2mm showing signs of rounding.   Around 4600' observed more advanced basal facets in a thin area of the snowpack illustrating spatial variability that currently exists with our thin early season snowpack.