East Peak - Dana Plateau

The theme of today was contrast, and variable conditions around the compass rose.  I was concerned about wet snow instabilities at lower elevations, yet I was trying not to get blown over traveling on hard melt-freeze crusts, and through dry snow higher up. 

Below treeline, (East - North):

• 9 am: North, 8400' - 10 cm 4F melt - freeze crusts with wet snow beneath the crust to the ground.
• 2pm: whole snowpack saturated. T air 50ºF, T surf 40ºF. Boot and ski pen were both to ground, regardless of HS. HS: 0 - 100 cm. Kicked off wet loose activity to the ground below 8500'. 
  

Near treeline, (East - North):

• 10:30 am: East, 9500' - surface snow wet up to 20 cm, ski pen 10 - 20 cm
• Midday: Northeast - North, 9500' - 10400' - 5 - 15 cm crust (up to P hard) over dry snow. 
• 12:30 pm: I dug a quick pit 10400': 
  • T air: 45ºF,  T surf: 30ºF, T-20: 21ºF .
  • In this location I found 125 cm of up to a P hard slab over F hard rounding facets. 
  • HS: 210 cm
• 1:45 pm: East, 9500' - ski pen was up to 45 cm, and boot pen was 90 cm. Up to 45 cm of snow was wet. 

Above treeline, all aspects:

• Extreme southwest winds were blowing snow loose snow over surfaces with 5 - 15 cm crusts or wind board, up to P hard.  Dry snow exists beneath these surfaces. 

Some wet loose avalanches observed in terrain below 10600 on all aspects today.