East Beckwith

No signs of instability underfoot.  We found a more trustworthy snowpack structure below treeline on northerly aspects, and felt comfortable riding in steeper terrain where the snowpack looked consistent in depth.  A pit targeting a shallow, wind-affected terrain feature near treeline highlighted the continued potential for triggering in that type of terrain.  Wet loose activity ramped up today and we also observed a few natural persistent slabs run on sun baked slopes.  On northerlies, snow surfaces are fragile (both surface hoar and near surface facets), and will be a problem with the next storm.  These same layers are getting cooked on southerlies.  

Several persistent slabs and numerous wet loose avalanches ran today.

Surface hoar event last night.  8 to 12 mm feathers below treeline, 3 to 4 mm near treeline to our high point at 11,500'.  Small grained near surface facets (.5-1.0 mm) are also widespread below the surface hoar.  

@10,000', NE aspect, wind-protected feature:  HS 137 cm, ECTX.  Non-propagating fracture with additional loading steps on Jan 5th rounding facets (4F, 1.5 mm) under a 60 cm slab up to 1F+ hard.  

@11,000', NE aspect, wind-eroded feature: HS 80 cm, ECTP14 on Jan 5th rounding facets (4F, 1.5 mm) under a 30 cm slab up to P hard.