Galena Peak

This was a quick trip to look at snow surfaces in advance of the anticipated multi-day loading event. It sprinkled some rain starting in the evening on Monday (12/15). This seemed to extend up to around 9,000', with just a dusting of fresh, dense snow and graupel above. The snow in the lower half of the middle elevation band was wetter and less cohesive than it has been since the wave of wet snow issues last week (focus of wet issues was 12/11 and 12/12). Between 8,500' and 9,000' the snow under the surface went from having some moisture from the recent rain to becoming completely dry. I traveled mostly on W-NW-N apsects and found quite a bit of faceting at the snow surface. Brief pokes out onto SW-S aspects revealed slick 1-2cm thick crusts from recent rains + weekend sun and warm weather, with facets underneath. Shaded aspects had well-developed, small-grained facets at the surface, with a variably preserved, eggshell rain+rime crust extending into upper elevation terrain (this is the 12/9 crust). Stiff, ridge-capping wind slabs had faceted significantly. Based on today's and previous observations, the snowpack has been pretty thoroughly cooked and wetted below ~8,000'. As you climb above this elevation, the snowpack is preserving better weak layers (both the late-November facet layer and the new weak layer that has developed at the surface). The surface weak layer, which we started to bury with the weak storm on 12/15, will be apparent in snowpits and has the right characteristics for producing avalanches, though it doesn't look nearly as bad as the late-November facets do. This pattern reinforces the theme of the season so far: not a ton doing on down low, and then a steep increase in snowpack coverage, complexity, and ability to produce avalanches as you ascend. I did not experience any cracking or collapsing. I did not see any recent avalanches, but I did not spend the time it would take to thoroughly glass the landscape.

Galena Peak

Quick report

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