Quick report
- Cracking
- specific
Minor cracking on kick turns and while provoking some slopes, but these didn't run longer than a few feet.
Weather
- Cloud Cover
- broken
- Wind Loading
- light
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Cold in the shade! Sun in the morning, then increasingly cloudy. Snow surfaces did not melt in the sun, so facets and surface hoar were preserved.
Snowpack
The snow 'dried out' and many areas that had rollerballs and signs of moist snow now held dry, recrystallized powder. Most slopes had a weak to breakable crust, besides direct north. Snow surfaces were sparkly, and upon closer inspection these sparkles were a thin layer of small surface hoar and faceted grains resting over the brittle crust (see photos). Tilt tests failed in multiple layers from storms over the past couple weeks. ECTN, M on early Feb Crust, but small sugary facets were observed above this crust, and they were slightly weaker than the snow above it (1F-). Snow temps were -5, but the EFC was at -3.5, so near crust faceting was occurring today. I noticed the snow was especially weak and sugary in areas with less than about 30cm over the EFC, but all areas had some weaker snow on it.
Avalanche
- Size
- D3.5
- Aspect
- E
- Elevation
- 6600 ft
Observed this older, deep wet slab that likely ran at the end of the month.