Mule Ridge

Quick tour up Mule Ridge to assess snowpack structure and overnight storm totals in the W Skyland region...

•6" (4500') - 10" (6200') of fresh snow. Warming (from brief, direct sunshine) was creating heavy snow surface conditions on solar aspects below 5500'
•Many locations had no previous snow on the W aspect I climbed. (no base)

•At my high point of 6200' the snowpack was ~120cm deep (typical of the thinner coverage in this region)
•Dug a pit on a N aspect and had moderate force failure (ECTP 15) 30cms below the surface
•Failure was on weak, faceted snow (5cm thick) below a pencil hard crust (5cm thick) formed in January.  This crust was also capped with a thin layer (1-2cms thick) of facets. (see photo)

One audible collapse in a flat meadow at 6000'