Lincoln Ridge

We toured on Lincoln Ridge today in the Yuba Pass area. Snow surface conditions met expectations with melt-freeze conditions in areas of direct sun exposure and cold, soft near surface facets in moderately shaded to heavily shaded areas. Large surface hoar in the 1 to 1.5 cm size range was widespread in the 7,000' to 7,100' elevation band. I did see this surface hoar in some small avalanche terrain. Without significant snowfall on the horizon, it is not a concern for now.

Cornices in the area have undergone an impressive amount of sag. We did not encounter any areas of cracks opening up along the ridgetop behind cornices despite the impressive amount of sag. Old settlement cones on the trees at 7,100' indicated that over 1 foot of snowpack settlement has occurred in this area since the last storm cycle.