Moonlight Basin

Lots of locals out enjoying the new snow and the beautiful November sun.  As stated below, the snowpack was thin but supportable.  No signs of instability or persistent weak layers were noted.  The biggest hazard to skiers in this area were thinly covered rocks.

Even though the snowpack is currently stable in this location, conditions will quickly change if we receive a larger load of snow in the next week.  

No signs of instability observed

A thin snowpack was found along the entire route with 12-16 inches of total snowpack near the road and 32-40 inches above 3000'.  The new snow from last week ranged from 6-10 inches and was unaffected by wind and well bonded with an old wind slab below.  Despite the snowpack being thin we found fair structure, good strength and low stress.  Mild November temps and a moderate wind event before the most recent snowfall have contributed to this setup.  Numerous hasty hand pits and full snow pit profiles at 3500' and 4200' South aspect did not reveal any persistent weak layers of concern.  The only notable stability test result was a ECTP30 at 4200' in a purposely chosen thinner area of snowpack amongst rocks.  The failure plane was beneath the old wind slab on some small facets (See full profiles for more detail).

The current major concern for skiers is shallowly buried rocks.  Mountaineers could find instability on steep unsupported slopes in rocky areas where the snowpack is thin and punchy.