Angell Basin, Lees Peak

A bit of dry loose (sluffing) was observed on steeper test slopes in the upper elevations of Angell Basin. 

I dug a pit on an east aspect at 8500' below Lees Peak.  There was over 7.5' (233cm) of snow in this location and has likely seen some previous wind loading.  5" of new snow had fallen in the last 24 hours and was not wind-affected.  5" of slightly denser snow was below that, and the late January rain crust was found a little over a foot down.  The rain crust was 4" thick in this location and pencil-hard.  I found a very dense slab over 3 feet thick below the Rain Crust that had a couple of other crusts within the slab.  The older snow below the slab is strengthening, but still less dense than the midpack slab.   My Extended Column Test had a couple of fractures, but no propagation along the whole column.  (ECTN18 down 43cm, ECTN28 down 68cm. ).     This is a representative pit of a deeper snowpack area, but there are still plenty of shallower zones within the zone that harbor a much more precarious snowpack structure.  (See Sarah Jakober's observation from yesterday here)    We have the classic setup of an aging persistent slab problem in the Elkhorns-  Deeper snowpack areas harbor a more stable structure, while the thinner areas are still quite unstable.  Snowpack tests may give you false positive or inconsistent results, and it remains critical to know what is under your feet.    Check out the video below.