Quick report
It was a warm, spring day with lots of sunshine. I could easily push small wet loose avalanches on steep test slopes, particularly on easterly and westerly aspects. Northerly aspects had a breakable surface crust that had not yet softened by the time I left around midday. Sunny aspects held moist, but supportable surface snow. I'd like to say the southerlies skied well, but they were still unpredictably sticky and high-effort.
I was surprised to see the upper-mid-elevation northerly terrain still holding snow in the trees, but the slopes below had many rollerballs, indicative of the ongoing warming trend.
We observed some small wet loose avalanches that likely occurred in the last 24-48 hours.Weather
- Cloud Cover
- few
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
It certainly felt like spring out there. The April sun felt hot, with ambient temperatures between 40-50°F. Other than the occasional light easterly wind, it was a calm day. High clouds drifted around throughout the day, but did little to limit the sun's strength.
Snowpack
Snow Surfaces
Sunny slopes had supportable, moist surfaces with boot and ski penetration increasing throughout the day. While they are on their way to holding "corn" snow, it's not quite there yet. On northerly aspects, a 1-2" thick melt freeze crust exists on the surface that is not supportable to boots. This crust is thinner on steeper north aspects. There is widespread surface hoar, although it is melting quickly wherever the sun has a chance to shine.
Snow Surfaces
Below the surface crust, there is about 15cm of dry snow over the 3/29 crust, which is buried 15cm deep. Below this crust is another 15-20cm of soft, dry snow over the 3/25 crust, which is thick, P-K hard, and buried about 30-40cm. Below this crust are soft, moist, melt forms.
Snow Profile
5300ft, NNW aspect
HS 315cm
Surface crust: 5cm, P+
3/29 Crust ↓ 15cm
3/25 Crust ↓ 34cm