Canyon Creek

I wanted to investigate snow layers, find any concerning weaknesses in newer layers, and investigate new wind loading. 

There were obvious signs of wind loading in all open meadows where we traveled. There was stripping and raised sled tracks in some spots, and thicker pillows in others. Snow surfaces were mainly soft in areas. No wind slabs were very hard, at least on the surface. A few inches down, sometimes harder wind affected layers were noted.

I didn't see any avalanches, and aside from my concerns with newer wind slabs keeping us off steeper, wind-loaded slopes, I did not find other layers that set off alarm bells for me in the snowpack. 

Cracking occurred in all areas with stiffer wind slabs about 6" deep in wind-loaded areas. These were noted at around 5500ft.

Snowline started at about 2500ft. At 4500ft, snow was about 4ft deep. Even in areas where I probed in the main Bearpaw Basin, snow was surprisingly shallow- around 200cm, or 6 1/2 ft deep. 

There were obvious signs of wind loading in open areas above 5000ft, and I found stubborn slabs up to 6 inches in depth. In pits, I found a structure of heavier snow over lighter snow, sitting over a crust about a foot down in wind-affected areas. All layers were well bonded and I didn't get results. I did, however, get cracking in areas that were undercut with sled tracks in the new wind slabs.