Quick report
In the W-NW-N facing out-of-bounds terrain near the top of Baldy, we have a weak snowpack but not much of a slab. While conditions are generally stable for now, this snowpack will be very suspect with future storms.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 30s F
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- none
- Rain Elevation
- N/A
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Inversions with temps in teens-20s F at lower elevation and 30s F at upper elevations while we were there. Calm to light winds.
Snowpack
8800-9050' W-NW-N terrain (out-of-bounds): HS=30-50cm. Impressive faceting in the upper third of the snowpack - even the sastrugi had lost most of it's stiffness/structure. The middle third of the snowpack was mixed forms and was keeping you off the ground on skis. The lower third was faceted: not great, not terrible for this location.
Surfaces: Lots of FC and some crusts +FC on solar margins. Not much significant SH observed once off the valley floor.
Old rain crusts below 8500': The formerly stout rain crusts have significantly faceted. What were very stout, 2cm+ ice crusts in many locations are now thinner, softer, and surrounded by facets. Where the rain crust was thin when it formed, it's gone in places (now facets).