Quick report
We were either in snowmobile tracks or undisturbed fresh snow until the sun started poking through the clouds around 1100. There were no signs of wind loading during our tour likely because of the fact we didn't make it up to any ridge tops. During pole tests you could feel a potentially weaker layer below 100 cms. Average snow heights on our tour up through the trees were around 160 cms. Solar radiation was penetrating the top 1-2 cm of snow as we headed back to the parking lot around 0200. No signs of instability prior to snow pit tests.
Weather
- Air Temp
- -6C
- Cloud Cover
- broken
- Wind Loading
- light
- Recent Snowfall
- 7
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Snowfall was light as we arrived at Togwotee Pass and stopped around 1100, around that time the sun was starting to affect any snow it was touching. Cloud cover diminished throughout the day. We experienced moderate NW winds which diminished to light NW by the time we left the pass.
Snowpack
I dug my snow pit at 1108 at 9,698 feet on an NNW facing slope at 25 degrees. I dug to the ground with a snow depth of 170 cm and found no evidence of a persistent weak layer in the middle of the snowpack. I did find forming or decomposing depth hoar below 33 cm and had propagation within this layer during an ECT. The snowpack above the weaker depth hoar layer was fairly uniform with increasing stiffness towards the bottom. Propagation was not repeated in the five other pits dug in this area with similar aspects, elevations, and slope angles.