Hillman's Highway, Tuckerman ravine

We traveled to assess the size and distribution of new wind slabs on a northeast aspect. We found soft, recently formed wind slabs ranging from about 10–12 cm to 30 cm thick, with fist to four-finger hardness. Hand shears performed during travel indicated that these slabs were generally fairly well bonded to the bed surface, with failures occurring in the soft snow just above the interface. In more wind-sheltered areas, the new snow was approximately 12 cm deep and remained largely cohesionless.

Looking ahead to tonight, increasing northwest winds and additional snowfall this afternoon and evening may build larger, harder wind slabs over the softer slabs currently in place. If wind transport is efficient, expect slab character to become thicker, stiffer, and more reactive through the night, with sensitivity to triggering increasing late tonight and into tomorrow morning.