MCS - Near Winter Corner

Quick report

When you get people antsy to be in the mountains (and above the inversion of the Treasure Valley), but low tide ski conditions, it's a perfect time to practice with transceivers and check on what the snowpack is up to. Surface hoar was large in continually shaded areas and smaller in areas that see some sun and wind, and anything near south-facing had a melt-freeze crust on the surface. Some quick pits for both transceiver burials and more detailed observations (up to approximately 50 cm depth) showed varying layers of melt-freeze crusts, faceted crystals, and melt forms based on slight changes in aspect and elevation. Temperatures rose to the low 40s at 6810 ft elevation before noon, with broken skies and no wind. There are several tracks right through the middle of the SNOTEL site, over the snow pillow. Please avoid these sites, especially skiing directly over the snow pillow and under the monitoring equipment! These sites collect important data for snow survey and water supply forecasting. (For some anatomy: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/wcc/home/aboutUs/monitoringPrograms/automatedSnowMonitoring/)