Observation: La Sal Mountains

I’m feeling more confident in the snowpack below treeline across all aspects. We dug this pit high in the near-treeline band on an east-facing slope. The 2/11 persistent weak layer remains easy to identify in the pit wall, with dry, rounding facets, but it was unreactive in an extended column test (ECTX). Even so, the overall structure is still poor.

I remain concerned about this layer—especially in the alpine, where hard slabs sit over the top. Triggering an avalanche on the 2/11 layer is still possible, and the potential for a step-down is very real, as this profile highlights. Several additional faceted weak layers exist beneath the 2/11 interface, including mature depth hoar up to 6 mm at the base of the snowpack on this slope.

An avalanche initiated on the 2/11 layer could easily step down and involve the entire season’s snowpack. I will continue to avoid steep terrain where this structure exists.