Quick report
A big change from widespread avalanche activity early Saturday morning with new snow layers and wind-loaded features showing no signs of instability. The biggest question mark is weak faceted snow above the 12/30 crust. On one hand, it's buried 80 to 120cm in observed terrain so a bit harder to trigger. It also produced no results in testing and no new human triggered avalanches were reported form the Baker BC today. On the other hand, it is still a layer of weak snow with a big slab above and a firm crust below and could still be a player in the next storm.
None observedWeather
- Cloud Cover
- broken
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Recent Snowfall
- 70cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- large amounts
Clear skies in the AM transitioned to thicker clouds that began to impact visibility around 2 pm. Cold with light winds from the south.
Snowpack
Widespread surface hoar to 5mm on all aspects, and cold temps seemed to limit surface hoar melting on all but the most southerly aspects.
70cm of new snow at mid-elevations, increasing in hardness F>1F+ to 1/4 interface. Ski pen was much reduced today to 10-20cm - but boot pen was still 45cm or deeper in many areas. A total of 80-120cm of snow over 12/30 crust. A thin melt-freeze crust at the 1/4 interface was found below 4800' but not higher, colder locations.
5cm layer of rounding near-surface facets above 12/30 crust. The frozen crust is 20cm thick with 1F moist rounded grains below.
ECT and CT produced no results. Deep tap was able to initiate an RP fracture in the facets just above the crust.
Avalanche
Lots of D2-3 natural avalanches from early Saturday morning. Found on east through northwest aspects, generally in terrain near or above 40deg. Solar aspects warmed and shed very small loose snow avalanches that initiated in steep, rocky or treed terrain. Also, there were a few small dry loose snow avalanches on the steep north aspect of Table that ran at some point Saturday night.