Yost Meadow

We toured the June Lake backcountry around the Yost Meadow area, skiing low angle slopes and checking out the snowpack. Coverage was very thin in most places, just enough for ski travel. We found a NE facing slope just above the meadow that was both blown in enough and protected enough to observe the multi-layered snowpack. We dug multiple quick pits and found the same setup was widespread, with the obvious basal facets covered by two seperate rain crusts holding near-surface facets between them, which was then covered by two seperate cohesive slabs, each one topped with buried surface hoar, then covered over with the latest storm snow of cold, dry powder. Surprising to observe was the wide variance in depth and thickness of the basal facets and the two wind slabs; the basal layer went anywhere from 20cm to 50cm from the ground, and the lower of the two wind slabs was anything from 10cm to 40cm thick. The facet layer between the two crusts was fairly consistent at about 10cm, and we experienced multiple isolated collapses and whumpfs that probably involved that whole sandwich below the wind slabs.

Quick report