We rode in the Franklin Basin area today and found somewhat sensitive drifted snow on upper elevation slopes. We slope cut a NE facing 34 degree slope along an upper ridge line at around 9100 feet elevation. A pocket of drifted snow approximately 70 feet wide and 18 inches deep released and slowly slid an hundred feet until it reach a 30 degree slope where it stopped. We were unable to determine the failure surface for sure. We observed some cracking along upper ridgelines but there was only the one pocket that released. We also observed one 20 foot pocket that naturally released prior to the yesterday’s small storm.

Away from the upper drifted slopes, the snowpack seemed stable and there were no other signs of instability.