Quick report
Our observations would support a "Scary Moderate" avalanche hazard. The weak facet layer is under a very firm supportable layer, but the structure is there for propagation.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 32
- Cloud Cover
- obscured
- Wind Loading
- none
- Recent Snowfall
- ~2cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Calm at site with light E winds at the ridge top. Foggy.
Snowpack
Dug a pit on a SW aspect at 8,600 on a 20 degree open slope. HS = 115cm. PST 30/100 end 60cm down on 1-2mm facets with some 3mm depth hoar grains mixed in. These appeared to be rounding but still very developed. This weak layer was fist+ with pencil hard snow above. (Very "upside down"!) We also had ETCPs in the 20-30 range (full arm hits) on two other nearby pits on the same layer. There was about 2cm of new soft snow on the barely supportable crust (while skiing). Snow surface was at the freezing point, but 20cm down (T20) was -2C at 11:00am.