Eddies

Snow Surface: Parking lot (400'): Stout supportable 2" thick melt freeze crust in clearings from an overnight refreeze, sitting over wet melt forms to the ground. This crust was still supportable in the mid-afternoon. 1000 - 1400': A breakable 1-2" melt freeze crust was on the surface, with the top 2' of the snowpack alternating between wet large grains or moist small grains. The 2/14 buried surface hoar was 2-4" down. 1400 - 1600': 1-4" of moist new snow on the surface. The 2/14 buried surface hoar was 4-8" down. 1600 - 2000': 4-6" of recent snow sat over a thin melt freeze layer from the middle of last week. The 2/14 buried surface hoar was 12" deep in wind protected locations, and ski penetration was 2-4". 2000' - 2600': Ski penetration of 1-4" with dry recent snow occasionally showing signs of wind effect. Snowpack: The Valentine's Day (2/14) buried surface hoar was easy to visually spot in most hasty pits from 1200' to 2600', with it less obvious and occasionally not visible in locations that have experienced wind loading in the past week. Below 1500', buried surface hoar grains showed signs of melting in days prior, with some large melt grains frozen to them (see photo below). Shovel tilt tests failed with moderate force at these lower locations, while they failed with easy force closer to treeline where melting hadn't occurred. Hand shear tests were difficult to isolate because the buried surface hoar layer would fail unless extreme care was taken to isolate the block; when a saw was used, they'd fail with easy force. To test the reactivity/propagation potential of this buried surface hoar layer, a bunch of hasty ECTs (just isolating to below the BSH) produced the following results: 1700', N aspect, wind protected location: - ECTN11 down 15cm failing on top of a thin moist melt freeze crust from mid-week - ECTN15 down 30cm failing in 2/14 BSH 2000', NE aspect, 25 degree slope, wind protected location: - ECTP13 down 30cm failing in 10-20mm 2/14 BSH (see photo below) 2200', West aspect, 20 degree slope, slightly wind loaded location (HS=320cm+): - ECTX. Buried surface hoar was not upright/visible in the pit wall but was found after the test down 35cm. 2600', NW aspect, 15 degree slope, slightly wind loaded location (HS=280): - ECTP21 down 35cm in 10mm buried surface hoar 2600', W aspect, 15 degree slope, wind loaded location (HS=390) (see photo below for structure ) - ECTN21 down 20cm in a density change - ECTN24 down 45cm in 5-10mm buried surface hoar + 1mm facets Overall, these varied test results didn't provide a lot of confidence in slopes today... particularly with the reported whoomphing! The party that broke trail passed on that they triggered two fairly impressive whoomphs, one around 1700' and the other near 2500' on the ridgeline below the headwall.

Eddies

Quick report

Weather

Avalanche