Elkford Exploration!!

Today we visited the dry snow in Elkford. Travel was good, and there are still pockets of snow that haven't been too affected by the wind. We observed no new avalanches throughout the day. The weather was sunny, and the winds were calm in the morning, and increased to light from the NW in the afternoon. We observed no snow transport through the day. Surface hoar growth continues on all aspects in the treeline and bellow treeline where the sky is not obscured by dense forest. The surface hoar is notably larger on northerly aspects and in sheltered terrain than it is on solar aspects and open terrain, where the wind and sun can affect growth rates. Just below the snow surface, the snowpack has begun to facet. The consolidated snow we found last week has started to become softer and is no longer bonded together as strongly. This process is likely to continue with the ongoing clear skies and cool nights. 20-40 cm down, we are still finding the January 2nd buried surface hoar layer; it was less reactive to tests today, as the slab above has begun to facet and break down. Below the January 2nd surface hoar, the snow pack is well settled.