I dug three separate test pits today. The red (X) in the photo shows where I approximately dug. All three pits showed almost identical structure. I suspect that most of the Pioneer Bowl and the surrounding area has the same general layering.

Just underneath the 2-5 inches of graupel is a rime crust that I found on almost all aspects along the ridge. The rime crust is thin. We will have to wait and see if the crust sticks around or if our shallow snowpack decides to completely facet. The average snow depth in this area was around 20 inches.

The basal facets (weak, sugary snow) seem small and fine grained in nature. As Craig said in his observation, rocks and other hazards are the main concern for now.

I took out my " brand new " probe to measure the snow depth to find out it was broken. It is always a good idea to get the avalanche gear out and make sure our beacons are sending and receiving, shovel and probes go together.