Elephants Back

The approach between Carson Pass and Elephants Back was somewhat deceiving today, with firm old snow underneath 6-8" of new snow. I dug several mitt pits and they rarely showed facets under the new snow, likely due to previous wind scouring and traffic along this popular route. As soon as I got to wind sheltered areas off the beaten path, the facets under the new snow became more prominent. Mitt pits failed cleanly and easily on facets, either above a thin crust, under it, or without its presence. The upper bowl of Elephants Back had a 4-6" layer of high density wind blown snow on the surface that wasn't yet thick enough for propagating ECT results. Facets under the new snow were discontinuous in the upper bowl, but more continuous and more concerning as I descended into wind sheltered terrain above Red Lake. 

6-8" of new snow. Facets under the new snow were most prominent away from Frog Lake Ridge and into the trees above Red Lake