Quick report
- Cracking
- specific
- Collapsing
- specific
While we barely traveled, we experienced collapsing and whumphing in both settled storm snow and lightly wind-transported drifts, which seemed more pronounced in specific wind-affected areas. Wind affect in the upper snowpack varied from F+ hard to 1F hard. New snow was ~15cm at these mid elevations over about 20-30cm of 1/5-1/6 snow. We had some collapses and shooting cracks up to 15' while breaking trail. Snowpit test sites were: Lower Eldorado 3118' E 28° Average height of snow was around 80-100cm in this location. In areas where F + to 4F settling storm snow sat on 2-5mm depth hoar, we saw a range of ECTP and CTSP results which ranged from ECTPV and ECTP1 where pits were more shallow. Lower Microdot: 3,200' 20° W Average snow height was 60-100cm in this location, where a more pronounced surface wind slab in the top 20cm was detectable with hardness tests and an old buried P hard wind slab (but faceting) wind slab above 2-5mm depth hoar at the bottom pack, approximately 20cm from the ground. Results varied in this location, with some failure on isolation (ECTV) and more stubborn moderate ECTP results.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 13
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- light
- Rain Elevation
- N/O
- Recent Snowfall
- HN24 15
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Overcast but with a high ceiling and spotty visibility up to ridgeline level
Snowpack
The snowpack in these locations was upside-down with up to 1F hard, rapidly settling new storm snow over F- depth hoar above the ground. See above for more snowpack info.
Avalanche
No recent natural avalanches were observed during our observation. We noticed some signs of scouring and wind transport at upper elevations on predominantly Southerly aspects and signs of wind loading in most bowl features at ridgetop around the clock.