Mary's, Targhee

We've been waiting for some snow to appear and get feedback from our dry-spell-ridden snowpack. Pretty easy read today: the change in temps lead for upside-down conditions, with less dense snow below denser snowfall. It was hard to take a step on any slope, regardless of aspect, without experiencing widespread collapsing. Small column tests failed upon isolation at the old/new interface (about 12-14+ inches below the snow surface), where I found a mix of faceted snow and surface hoar. Most of the reported avalanches today have run on this interface; I'm also curious what deeper snow buried in early November will do with additional load. 

We've seen a lot of wide avalanches today, evidence that weak snow is well-connected and widespread. These instabilities will linger even as natural avalanche activity tapers off. Slopes can be triggered remotely: from above, below, and adjacent to steeper terrain.