Quick report
- Aspect
- East
- Elevation
- 2957 m
- Slope Angle
- 25°
You can dig a trench with your sled to look for this layer (photo below); HOWEVER, the only way to see it is by using your shovel to make a clean wall in the snow. You can' find it in a rough pit wall.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>In Soapstone basin it was generally a low danger danger unless you found a pocket of buried surface hoar. While it isn't too sensitive with only about 6 inches of new snow on top (which isn't a big load), it shows red flags in stability tests. I don't trust it one bit.</p> <p>Unfortunately the only way to know it exists is by digging a snowpit 2-3 feet deep. It is an obvious stripe. There were no other signs of instability - no recent avalanches, no cracking, nothing. The buried surface hoar is like a <strong>booby trap</strong>.</p> <p>Also, it doesn't exist on high traffic slopes where it was destroyed by snowmobile traffic. Be especially watchful for it on slopes sheltered from wind that haven't seen much sled traffic.</p>
Great riding conditions. Sun exposed snow was just starting to get wet.