.Looked at top meter of a 195 cm snowpack at 9400’ NNE facing in West Monitor, interested primarily in bonding of new snow to surface, presence of crust from heat or rain, and presence of faceting near the surface. ECTN 18 Q3 30 cm down, below the thin friable melt-forms crust and graupel. This same layer sheared easily at a lower (9000’ nne) site in a shovel tilt test, with the smoothness of the shear and a photo of the SH shown in photos below. In the upper site, the new snow slid on a graupel layer above the melt/rain crust. Not sure whether to attribute 6 mm crust to warmth (did it get warm enough to melt NNE 9,000?) or liquid precip at beginning of this storm (might the rain/snow line have been briefly higher than we thought?). Description of layer: tiny spherical ice particles, averaging 1 mm, that could be easily separated from each other. Take homes:
Little action in the older slab
Weaknesses exist in graupel above crust, and about 10cm below crust at new/old interface.
Currently, no slab on top of those layers. Not necessarily expecting future activity on them.
Biggest concern is if wind picks up and starts moving new snow.
.5-1mm feathers noted on the snow surface; expect them to be destroyed by wind
Surface hoar, loose sluff in West Monitor, shovel tilt test shear, layer on which it sheared.
