Quick report
Snow surfaces continue to weaken and will become problematic once a new slab forms. Intact slopes continue to harbor stronger over weaker snow with propagating test results, overall intact slopes with structures that could be triggered by a human appear very rare across the landscape.
Weather
- Cloud Cover
- few
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Comfortable temperatures above the inversion. Light winds at ridge top.
Snowpack
The main goal was to install the CBAC snow height camera on Purple Ridge so we had less time to investigate the snowpack. We did travel off the common ski track at times with no signs of instability underfoot. Near surface facets continue to grow in size. We dug a profile on an east aspect at 11,600 feet on an intact slope without sign of recent natural activity. Test results produced ECTP 22,23 and PST 55/97 END. The basal facets at this particular spot were weaker than other recent obs. Hand hardness in the facets ranged from 4 finger to fist plus, and the failure occurred in the fist plus portion. Below treeline, near valley bottom, the snowpack feels highly faceted with much of the Thanksgiving slab decaying.
3cm thick sun crusts have formed on southeast slopes near treeline.