Quick report
- Aspect
- North
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2377 m
- Slope Angle
- 30°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>A warm snowpack at these 2 lower/mid elevation spots, but still both pits had weak facet layers and slabs. Over time, it would seem the warm temps and warm snow is a good thing for the snowpack. With a lack of a significant temperature gradient in the snowpack, strengthening and bonding should occure rather than faceting.</p>
Above profile: Snow was moist, top to bottom, but didn't seem "wet" or to have free water. Still a layered snow pack, and but even with full propagation on ECT the snow seemed sluggish and unreactive. No cracking or collapsing. Photo of pit below.
Pit below: facet layer at 33 - 37 cm, above the thicker ice crust seemed the weakest layer, both with traditional and untraditional tests. However, pit was in a poor spot to really test the basal facets (ground too rocky and uneven). And they were falling out of the pit wall in places.
With cooling overnight and tomorrow, low danger for the lower/mid elevations. Didn't visit upper elevation, wind affected terrain. Sluffing possible in places with deep graupel pooling.
Snowpack
Trace of new snow at the trailhead, 1" up high - all graupel. Improved turning on low angle slopes, even with just the inch of new snow. Graupel pooling below any smooth, slick steep slopes - up to 6" deep.