9,000 elevation East aspect. I dug a pit down to the ground on an open 30 degree slope. 170 cm total depth. Most everything in the pit was a consolidated 1-finger hard layer except for a thin 4-finger hard layer about half way down.. There was still some weak snow at the bottom 10 cm, fist to 4-finger hard, the base facets. But these facets looked to be in the process to heal -- i.e., round shape with some cohesion.

I only looked at the layers in the pit, no tests. How to isolate an extended column down to the suspect layer 160 cm deep in the snow pack?

I did not hear a single collapse nor any cracking anywhere -- at any elevation or location.