Wind Loading

Poor Snowpack Structure

Tour today 10200'-9300' did a lot of skinning w shovel in hand. I saw 0 buried surface hoar( I looked hard). Compass description below is rough guess to small area toured and below should be viewed with some skepticism. Below the blower 7" lies a mixed bag from buried facets to melt freeze crust and everything in between depending on sunlight exposure. Blue sky Tues n wed created some cooking of widespread facets. Melt freeze crust varied from none to 5" Deep dark north has protected surface facets that did not cook at all. Ne-nnw has a thin melt freeze crust with some of the preserved facets that did not cook below. East and west have thicker crust. Some of these older melt freeze crust (east and west side of compass from earlier heating) may have a temp gradient going, growing facets below ( I guess I broke off one of these on Wed, 10200' ene size of a screen door, thought it to be a wierd crusty thin wind slab till I read mark white's observation). Summary- there is a melt freeze crust with facets below. Facets below came BC (before crust) from an incomplete cooking of the facets/facetsnot cooked full depth) other facets came AC(after crust) due to temp gradient. It is fairly easy to probe with pole to check crust thickness. I'm not sure which crust is weakest. Both facets below crust are lemons in our snowpack structure.(within 1st meter, density change, weakness not thick) It will take a slab to matter. Current storm snow too light to make a slab unless wind. Plenty of light snow avail for transport. Some wind in forcast.