Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
Strong to moderate NW winds overnight and dense snow produced Windslabs in favored locations throughout the upper mtn. HN 5cm HST 25cm HS (@ pit site) 245cm Cloud cover varied from scattered to overcast. Winds remained moderate to strong from the NW throughout most of the day. Depending on elevation, temperatures hovered in the teens to mid-20s. Stability tests - CT’s 14,15, 18 RP @225cm ECTN 15. Failed under shovel. Moved the shovel over another 30 cm and continued where it propagated across the remaining unaffected column. Will continue to monitor. Caution high Windslabs reactive Storm snow - stubborn to fail on slopes of > 35 degrees. Steeper slopes may be more reactive. Currently, isolated concerns at ridgetops and cross-loaded features for Windslab in favored locations and steeper slopes, especially with solar warming.
Avalanche
Cut the far flank of Big Bowl (28 degrees) to see how reactive the upper mountain Windslabs were. Snow cracked in front of me and stopped after a few centimeters. However, the initial failure propagated out into the bowl and released a Windslab 5-20 cm thick across the start zone and into the lower half of Chute 1. A snow profile adjacent highlights a thin melt-freeze crust overlayed by preserved stellars 3-4mm ~20-25 cm from the surface. Observed fresh crowns under recently reformed cornices with debris partially obscured from additional snowfall and wind deposition. Some solar warming as clouds would occasionally break.