Quick report
The snowpack was shallow and weak where we traveled, with beautiful surface hoar. There is plenty of evidence of old wind transport but there is no snow left to whip around.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 23
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- none
Increasing wind throughout the day (from calm to light)
Snowpack
The snowpack we encountered was very similar to the 17 January SAC observation from the Mt. Baldy backcountry, even at the lower elevations we traveled on: very shallow, weak, and mostly facets. We also observed beautiful surface hoar up to 6 mm. We noted this in our morning discussion with Ski Patrol, and we're all anxious to see how this will react when the next storm covers it. Snow depths ranged from 50-65 cm. One of our teams observed the snowpack in a SE-facing pit by one of the instructors and learned some of the basics of snowpack observations and tests at around 12:00 PM. CT24 ↓ 13 RP - trying to pull this block out didn't slide along the fracture but pulled the whole column out at the ground ECTN 24 ↓ 17 Surface: Surface hoar 51-47 cm: Melt-freeze crust (P) 47-40 cm: Facets (4F) 40-23 cm: Facets (F) 23-20 cm: Melt-freeze crust (P) 20- ground cm: Facets (F)