Bullion Basin

I took a walk up to Bullion to check travel conditions and dig to ground at one of our study sites.

The most in-your-face observation is the noticeable loss of height of snow since the atmospheric river event. Not surprising based on our recent weather. 

This week's snow has helped travel conditions and made the trip possible. It was generally light and fluffy, with a poor to moderate bond to the underlying crust. Skinning up steeper pitches at an angle presented some challenges and you slipped on the underlying crust. 

The Early February Crust was smoother than I expected under the new snow, and skied decently in Bullion Basin.

 

No obvious signs of instability

Lower Elevations: This week's snow is essentially sitting on the ground or patchy old snow. Numerous natural hazards are exposed or shallowly buried.

Mid to Upper Elevations: 9-11 cm of recent low-density snow sits atop the stout Early February Crust.  This crust was boot and ski supportable. The snowpack is a series of melt-forms and crusts. Water from our atmospheric river had percolated to ground where I was digging. [E/NE 6100' HS=121cm]

The Solstice Crust was still identifiable and slightly less dense than the surrounding snow, but did not show any signs of weakness in snowpack tests.

The snowpack is fairly warm and close to isothermic. Temperature profile ranges from -1.6 to -0.1.