Cracking

Widespread cracking was found in two main areas. Wind loading from cross loading as well as typical down slope loading were creating wind slabs of varying densities with cross loading in the upper reaches of the USA bowl developing one finger hard wind slabs that were cracking with trail breaking on slope angles of less than 30 degrees. This cracking was enhanced by the hollowness of the snowpack because of the bushiness of the terrain. Of note, when one person rode the rider's right line off the peak of West Monitor we experienced a significant spider-web/window paining to the rider's right of his tracks. As the rider descended and was into his 15th turn he under cut a steep rollover to his right and a series of stress fractures were created without the slope fully moving. These stress fractures left gaping cracks ranging from one to three inches wide. The stress cracking area was rather large: at least 80 to 100 feet wide and 60 to 80 long/running downhill.The slope that fractured was NNW and it had old snow left over from the event on 10/21/12. The old snow was around 7 to 9 inches deep with warm/damp snow at the ground surface and up about 1 to 2 inches deep. Then there was a hollow area directly above this damp snow where there were moderate sized facets up to 6 inches deep and this was capped with a m/f crust. The fracturing broke at the interface of the damp grains and the facets.