Mount Baldy

The snowpack on shady aspects continues to collapse and produce unstable test results.  Faceting is weakening the slab in sheltered areas, but previous winds built stiff slabs at upper elevations that will linger into the future.  The same winds that created drifts scoured some suspect terrain and removed much of the slab.  Southeasterly features above treeline did not produce test results, but the snowpack structure looks capable of producing a slab avalanche where you encounter a stiff slab resting above a face/crust combo.

We experienced numerous collapses while traveling through northerly-tilted terrain at mid and upper levations. Collapses were less common than in previous days. Largest collapse radiated 100 feet or so.

We traveled through a variety of aspects between 10,800 feet and 12,600 feet.  On the north side of the compass, in sheltered areas, the snow depth ranged from 45 to 60cm.  Snow pits showed 10 to 20cm of 4-finger slab above the early-season weak layer.  Collapses were sporadic but not uncommon.  Tests produced mostly moderate results, with one easy result.  See profiles.  At upper elevations, the north half of the compass is highly variable due to previous avalanches and wind scouring.

We targeted a few southeast terrain features above treeline and found a 2cm crust capping the basal weak layer.  We targeted a drifted feature with 2 feet of cohesive snow above it, and did not get a result.  We did not produce any collapse while moving through the terrain, even though the structure looked suspect.

Sunny terrain features at all elevations became wet or moist throughout the day.  Swirling winds helped keep above treeline slopes from becoming wet.