Cornbiscuit

Went for a short tour to just above treeline on Cornbiscuit ridge at 2300'. Our goals for the day were to assess how the recent snow and very warm temps are affecting the snowpack, try to gain a better understanding of the buried surface hoar distribution, and see what the high winds are doing. We found wet snow and warm temps up to 2000' where the snow started to dry out. At our high point of 2300' we dug a pit on a north, loaded aspect and found the buried surface hoar only on one side of our pit. Instability tests did not give us any concerning results. The spotty distribution of the buried surface hoar gave us uncertanty when assessing slope stability as tests can be unreliable and it is a ideal setup for beng caught off-guard. Throughout the day winds were rapidly moving snow in the alpine, causing two natural cornice failures on Magnum while we were out. 

On the way out the skiing was soft, wet, and fun!

Up to about 2000' the surface snow was wet and was eager to produce big pinwheels when kicked down small steep slopes. At and above 2000' the snow became more dry. At 2000' and 2300' we found buried surface hoar under 8-12" of snow but the distribution of the surface hoar was spotty. In our pit at 2300' on a north, loaded aspect we found the surface hoar only on one side of our pit and produced no concerning results (ECTX, PST 100/100 X 30cm down). The surface hoar in this location was about half an inch in size and was rounding.