Kokanee Bowl

We dug a pit at the top of our intended line, just below the ridgeline. There was a firm crust on the surface, followed by low density storm snow, and then a very obvious well defined weak layer approx 45cm down. We ran multiple CTs and an ECT, each time the slab failed sudden planar on the layer as we cut the back of the column, i.e. before applying any compressive load. We backed out and skied a less exposed line on a shady N aspect in Montana bowl. We had previously watched two of our friends ride our intended line with no issues - could it be that the crust was holding it all together?