Quick report
The persistent slab problem still lurks within the snowpack but has become largely uncreactive due to a stiff slab sitting above the weak, faceted layers near the ground. The weak layers are still dry on upper elevation north and east aspects. We found well supported skiing on north and west aspects and supported sledding down at middle elevations through the trees. While the wind wasn't blowing very hard today, there is plenty of new snow available for transport right now. As we skinned up steep slopes, about 8" (22cm) of new and recent loose dry snow was sluffing off of a melt freeze crust.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 14
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- none
- Recent Snowfall
- 22
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
The sky was overcast all day. Very light snow started around 10 am and increased to light snowfall for the remainder of the day. Temperatures remained below freezing. The wind was light and from the northeast at ridge top and was calm everywhere else. We did not observe any wind loading.
Snowpack
There is very little snow at lower elevations; not enough to ski, sled, or slide.
At middle and upper elevations, the snow is well supported by a stiff slab on north, east, and west aspects. We did not make any snowpack observations for directly south facing aspects.
We dug a quick pit on a west aspect around 7100' and found moist faceted snow at the ground. We performed a compression test that failed at the slab and facet interface on tap #26 (CT26 SP). The depth of this pit was approximately 35" (90cm).
We dug another pit on a north aspect at 7800'. The depth of this pit was 44" (111cm). In this pit we found about 9" of new and recent snow sitting on a knife hard melt freeze crust. We found near crust faceting both above and below this crust. Below, we found a stiff (1F+) slab of rounding facets and about 18" (48cm) of sugary, dry facets and depth hoar at the ground. We performed an extended column test and got a moderate non-propagating result in the layer of near crust facets above the melt freeze crust (ECTN15 down 23cm).
We also observed large cornice development on north and east facing ridgelines. However, today the wind was blowing from the northeast and riming up that side of trees.
Avalanche
We observed old avalanche debris in a bowl on Rocky Point with north and east aspects. As we skinned up steep slopes, loose dry snow was sluffing off of a melt freeze crust found about 8" (22cm) down underneath new and recent snow.