Snodgrass

Sunny slopes wetted at the surface today, and human-triggered loose avalanches appeared to be possible on steep slopes.  Rocky areas protected from the light breeze appeared to be the most active with recent natural activity.  The snowpack structure on the north half of the compass continues to produce propagating test results and presents a poor structure.  The Cupid Crusher slab is about 2 feet thick and rests on fist-hard facets 1-2mm in size.  The sensitivity of the Persistent Slab problem below treeline appears to be easing, but the slab thickness remains well within the reach of human triggers.

I fished around in a few northerly tilted meadows looking for a collapse but didn't produce any. On Friday, I could get collapses with a healthy stomp in this area. There were numerous wet, loose avalanches in the Gothic corridor; most ran yesterday, with a few today. Most activity came from shallow, rocky areas and remained small in size. A few may have been large (D2) on long slopes.

I traveled largely on sunny terrain below 11,000 feet.  Most slopes had wet snow in the top few inches with a dry-to-moist slab from the Cupid Crusher storm below.  On many sunny slopes, meltwater has drained through the Cupid slab to the crust below with meltwater hanging sporadically throughout the slab. The volume of meltwater did not raise significant Wet Slab concerns overall due to the relatively modest warmth.  I suspect many sheltered areas from 90 degrees east through south through 270 degrees west will see meltwater fully move through the Cupid Slab by the end of the day on Monday below treeline.  Snow surfaces on the shady side of east and west became moist, but no significant meltwater was observed.  

I briefly traveled through northerly meadows without any collapses, even with stomps.  I dug a profile on a northeast slope with a 2-foot slab from the Cupid storm resting above fist hard facets.  Extended Column Test produced a propagating result from the first tap from the shoulder (ECTP 21).  The sensitivity of the persistent slab problem continues to decline as time increases after the loading event. However, the structure remains poor and dangerous, human-triggered avalanches remain a threat on the north half of the compass below treeline.