East Missions

Less snow and more wind than we hoped for:

• Moderate amounts of blowing snow at mid elevations.  The high peaks of the Swan Range produced plumes of blowing snow all day. 
• 2 to 4 inches of recent snow, but found isolated drifts over 12 inches deep. 
• Fresh slabs were 2 to 8 inches deep and ranged from soft to hard. 
• Slabs were stubborn, only producing cracks up to 10 ft long when undercut by a skin track on steep test slopes. 
• The snowpack was moist to wet on southerly slopes below 5500'
• No surprises in our pits, the snowpack is mostly strong with some junk facets and crusts near the surface. 

We stuck to slopes less than 30 degrees. The riding was grabby and variable. 

Photos to follow.

Cracks up to 15 feet on switchbacks.

Test pit @ 6600' NE aspect:

• HS 165 cm
• ECTX
• CTN

Test pit @ 6000' SE aspect:

• HS 125 cm
• ECTN5 down 10 cm, ECTN15 down 30 cm

Hand pit @ 5400' S aspect:

• HS = 45 cm
• Moist to wet