Near Blue Crag - Mammoth Lakes Basin

Our goal today was to get out and have a closer look at the crown of a recent large natural avalanche (overnight 3/29 to 3/30) at the base of Blue Crag. We ended up backing off of that objective due to decreasing visibility and wind loading over the Mammoth Crest. We settled for digging a snowpit at a similar aspect and elevation. We dug down a meter to the bottom of this past week's snow. We did not find any concerning layers beyond new wind slabs forming in the upper foot to six inches. In the areas we traveled ski testing on steep rollovers did not produce any slabs. Storm slabs and wind slabs seemed to have decreased in sensitivity as the ~ 22" of storm snow recorded at Mammoth's weather station over the past 48 hours has quickly settled and gained strength. The snow has an upside-down structure that makes travel difficult on ascent and descent.

Storm slabs and wind slabs cracked underfoot but did not extend more than a meter beyond skis.

BTL: 40cm (1.5 feet) of snow from the past 48 hours. Skis sank about 1.5 feet. Boots sank in the same. The storm snow was upside down and made for difficult travel. Cracking was observed in the top foot of the recent snow on convexities, but no avalanches were triggered. Surface form is 2mm stellars

NTL: 50cm (1.5 to 2 feet) of snow from the past 48 hours. 100cm (3.5 feet) of snow from the past week. No sudden or concerning results in CT performed at 10,600' on a steep N-facing test slope. Broken and resistant planar failures at interfaces between storms from the past week of snow and wind. No persistent grains at the failure planes. Wind slabs were stubborn to trigger. Surface form is rimed wind-broken precip particles.