Quick report
We observed some drifted snow near ridgelines, though less than expected based on last night’s recorded wind speeds from the Titus weather station. The persistent slab is gradually gaining strength but I'm slowly warming up to smaller avalanche slopes with thicker snowpacks. We conducted companion rescue practice in Frostbite Flats and experienced a significant collapse. However, this is considered an outlier due to the shallow snowpack in the area, which differs significantly from conditions at Galena Pass. Nonetheless, it provided an excellent example for Level 1 students to observe and hear a clear indicator of instability in the snowpack.
Weather
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Recent Snowfall
- 3-5 cm
Windy in the morning on the valley floor and afternoon light snow showers. Trace amounts of snow.
Snowpack
We dug on an east facing slope at 9000' where the height of snow was 115 cm. We observed a snowpack structure starting with approximately 20 cm of fist-hard snow transitioning quickly to a one-finger hardness slab for the remainder. The persistent weak layer (PWL) from 12/13 is thinning and evolving into a slightly firmer F+ interface of facets. Small column tests produced no significant results (CTN) and extended column test wouldn't propagate (ECTX) within the testing perimeters of 30 taps. A cross propagation saw test produced 35/100 (End) down 65 cm. The length of fracture cut in the PST is gradually increasing over recent days, suggesting a slow stabilization trend. A comparison to a previous snow pit on a similar aspect and elevation in an adjacent drainage showed a PST result of 28/100 (End). While this comparison is limited in scope, it’s becoming an engaging process to monitor the progression of this layer and its potential to become unreactive over time.