Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
We skied one run in the east-facing meadows on Fresno. Surfaces were variable, with anywhere from 2 to 6" dry, faceted snow sitting on top of a firm crust. We saw some short (~5 to 10') shooting cracks on wind-loaded rollovers, and kicked off several similar-sized shallow wind slabs on micro terrain features above treeline.
The deeper weak layers in the area haven't gone anywhere, but they have been quiet without any significant load in over a month. This will be something we'll be paying close attention to when we get our next significant storm, or whenever we see our first warmup of the season.
Short shooting cracks (5-10') on previously wind-loaded rollovers.Weather
- Air Temp
- Low teens
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Rain Elevation
- 0
- Recent Snowfall
- 2-4"
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Some sun in the morning, overcast in the afternoon. No wind, cold temps but not frigid.
Snowpack
We didn't dig any full pits, but plenty of pole probes and hand pits as we traveled. Dust on crust in general, with anywhere from 2 to 6" of dry, faceted snow on top of firm surfaces. It was easy to poke a pole through the underlying crust, and it felt like the majority of the snowpack was faceted below a series of crusts in the upper foot or so of the snowpack. This isn't a major concern right now, but it will probably be an issue once we get a significant storm or warming event.