Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
Leaving the parking area this morning, our first impression was how dense most of the new storm snow was. Largely independent of aspect, we found 6-10 cm of low-density (F) snow on top of 20-30 cm of significantly firmer snow (1F). We consistently found this firmer snow overlying a thin (<5 cm) layer of dry, soft (F) snow. Multiple hand shears in hasty pits resulted in planar breaks with easy force at this interface, though we were unable to affect any kind of propagation in ski cuts throughout the day. We did generate manageable sluffing in a steep, cliffy zone on the skier's right side of Swift Creek.
Avalanche
Small (D1) loose dry debris and partially filled-in soft slab crowns (D1-1.5) observed across the valley on the south and east aspects of Mt. Herman. Potentially spotted a larger debris pile in the runout below Corner Pocket but was unable to verify due to visibility.