Surface hoar surprise

<p>Today we went to Hankin on the hunt for buried weak layers below the recent storm snow - and we found them! We dug on northeast and northwest facing slopes in the alpine, and found a layer of surface hoar 30 cm deep below the new snow. This layer produced repeatable propagating Extended Column Test results (ECT P 17, ECT P 20) with moderate loads. The weak, feathery surface hoar crystals are not found everywhere, but it is worth investigating slopes for this layer as the result could be a significant slab avalanche, especially in wind-loaded terrain features and shady slopes. We didn't see any new avalanches. At treeline and below, there is a thick melt-freeze crust just below the surface. We haven't found the surface hoar in these areas and were able to find good skiing with 5 cm of creamy, moist snow over the crust. The day was warm and cloudy, with mostly calm condtions. </p>

Terrain Ridden

Alpine slopes, Mellow slopes, Open trees, Sunny slopes.

Terrain Avoided

Convex slopes.

Avalanche Conditions

Rapid temperature rise to near zero degrees or wet surface snow.

Snow Conditions

Powder, Wet, Wind affected.

Weather Conditions

Cloudy, Sunny, Warm.