Quick report
- Aspect
- Northwest
- Elevation
- 2865 m
- Slope Angle
- 34°
Basal facets are present but strengthening. In a quick pit at 9440', NNW facing near the top of Yellow Jacket we saw some rounding of the 3mm facets, the layer was mainly 4 finger hardness and pockety with areas of looser and harder snow, the breaking plane was rough, and scores were hard for compression test and negative (ECTX) for extended column.
Small sharp grains 35cm down below a 2cm crust failed with moderate force in a compression test, and fractured in an extended column test but failed to propagate the fracture.
Surface hoar and feathered crystals stole the show today. Below:
1) 1.5" feather from Bowman Fork, 6,500'
2) closeup of the same
3) 0.8mm Surface hoar from 8,400' in Wilson
4) visible wind crust looks fuzzy below a layer of surface hoar on Gobbler ridge at 9,800'
Dropped a cornice on an east-facing shot between Toot Suite and Depth Hoar Bowl with no result. Thin snow and upslope debris suggests that path had slid earlier, but we didn't trigger a repeater in the thin snowpack. Looked like several slides had been triggered, perhaps by cornice fall, in similar terrain. Some hollow (bottomless) pole plants in upper Wilson, but snow generally felt stable. No reactivity in wind slabs today.
Snowpack
Surface hoar skiing is the best! Snow surface is weak from SH and NSFs on most open slopes, all aspects and elevations. Surface hoar crystals up to 2 cm around 8600'. Expect Saturday winds and/or upcoming warmth will destroy the feathers before whatever Sunday snowfall we might get, but worth watching.