Tracking Layers

1120hrs, test pit on a 20 degree slope. ECTN 16, down 30 cm on surface hoar up to 6 mm. ECTN 24, down 50 cm on surface hoar up to 6 mm. What does this mean? ECT stands for Extended Column Test which is a test we use to check the propagation potential of a layer of concern. The "16", and "24" means the layers failed on that number of taps but did not propagate across the column which is communicated with the "N". We found these layers at treeline and expect them in sheltered areas of alpine throughout the area, but these surface hoar layers are losing their energy here. They are getting harder to trigger and are less likely to propagate as far. However, we did multiple tests in one spot, which is hardly conclusive that this problem is going away entirely. With uncertainty, we are maintaining our margin of safety.