Quick report
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
CT tests all failed on basal facets. CT21-30. Travel from 7400-10,200 ft., all aspects, slope angles to 38 degrees. Snow surface very variable at different elevations and aspects. Zipper rime crust at most elevations traveled. Above 8500 ft. rime was capping mostly smaller grained surface and near surface facets but in some places surface hoar was rimed or there was new surface hoar growing on the rime crust. The rime crust was thin and skied pretty well even though the sliding was on the noisy side. Warmer temps earlier in the week helped slow down the deterioration of the surface snow. Forecast winds may help beat down some of the surface snow faceting. Most likely we will see a natural avalanche cycle if forecast snow comes to fruition because of the weak nature of the surface snow.
Rime crust at 9500 ft on a NW aspect.
Snowpack
Mixed bag of surface snow conditions. Large surface hoar low in elevation. A thin ( 3mm) rime crust from 8000 ft and up. Melt/freeze crust on southern exposures.