Smith Creek

A consistently thin 12/7 rain crust through the elevations 4500 - 6000’. Resistant test results above crust and cleaner planar results in small facets below 12/7 crust. We did not find any surface hoar on or near the surface in our travels today. 

None observed

We found on average 10 cm Soft F hard snow on top of 12/7 0.5cm thick rain crust. Rain crust is mostly breakable on skis or sled, easily breakable by foot.  Between 4200 - 6000’ we found the 12/7 crust thickness and amount of new snow on top of it fairly consistent. At 4200’ in the Smith/Cow creek drainage the snowpack is about 2.5ft deep. Ridgetop at 6500’ showed the previous sign of wind effect of snow transport onto northerly aspects. 

Snowpit at ridge elevation on a S aspect had a snowpack height of 80cm. Near the surface, right above 12/7 crust, we observed easy Resistant Planar results in CT tests.  The 12/7 rain crust, 15cm deep, was two 0.5 thick crusts with a thin layer of refrozen wet gains in between. We only saw this double thin crust setup at 6500’ ridgetop, everywhere else was a single 0.5 thick rain crust. Weak sugary small faceted grains are underneath the 12/7 crust, widespread through the elevations we traveled. In our 6500’ snowpit we saw easy to moderate force CTs produce SC sudden collapse results and ECTN in these small facets. Below this, hand hardness increases with small rounded grains to the ground, did not find evidence of the November rain crusts.