Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
We headed into the Swans today to collect information on new snow totals, see if there was recent avalanche activity, and enjoy some low-angle powder!
- Signs of instability included cracking and loose dry sluffing.
- Approximately 6" of new snow overnight, on top of ~15" from April Fool's storm.
- Although sunshine was brief today, it warmed up the new snow at middle elevations on south aspects, creating cohesive slabs that cracked around our feet. The surface had refrozen by 4:00pm.
- Easterly winds were loading atypical slopes at upper elevations. Slabs were 4-6" thick (4F) on the west side of the Swan Crest.
- We found a thin and fragile crust in the top foot of the snow pack, possibly from freezing rain. It was present up to our high point.
- The late March crust was thick and supportable above 5500'.
- Below this elevation, wet snow had barely refrozen which made for grabby sledding.
Travel was strenuous on both sleds and skis. However, the work is mysterious and important, so we pushed on in the name of Kier.. and pow.
Reactive cracking in recent wind slabs at ridgetop. Cracking in recent snow that had been warmed by the sun at low elevations. Dry sluffing on steep slopes. Some roller balls off the skin track on a steep southerly side hill.Weather
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- light
- Recent Snowfall
- 15
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
S-1 at the car and for the morning. In the early afternoon, clouds briefly broke allowing solar radiation to affect the new snow. Moderate winds at upper elevations and ridgelines from the east, which shifted to southeast as early evening squalls came in and out. All of the new snow had melted off of the road on the ride out - revealing spots of.... pavement between whoops.
Snowpack
- 7000', S, HS=280cm
- Two crusts: 1- Possible rain crust 15cm down below most recent storm snow. 2- MF crust that formed during last week's warm-up was P hardness and 25cm thick.
- We receieved non-propagating results during our ECT. (ECTN22 down 55cm)
- Below the MF crust the snow transitioned from wet to moist to dry.
- Hand pit at 5000' showed 40cm of dry snow on top of moist snow.
Avalanche
- Size
- D2 R2
- Type
- SS
- Aspect
- NW
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 6400 ft
A few small sluffs in the storm snow in steep areas. A large soft slab avalanche on a northerly aspect looked like it failed on Tuesday (4/1) during the peak of the storm.