Route today was up/down Argenta, Silver Mine Meadows, exiting Argenta Chutes. We were curious to look at the results of control work performed on Argenta on Thursday, February 18. The crown in the starting zone is ~160 cms deep and appears the be the entire width of the starting zone (several hundred feet wide.)

Like most slopes that have avalanched, the bottom ~30 cms of faceted snow from early this season remains intact, just waiting for another loading event. The total depth of the snowpack on slopes in the starting zone is now ~45 cms.

As we gain confidence in the persistent weak layer (PWL) becoming less of an issue in areas where the snowpack is deeper (i.e. > 150 cms), some slopes that avalanched during the big cycle in mid-February have to be treated with the mindset of early-season conditions, where there is weak snow down near the ground and an overall thin snowpack.

Photos:

- thin snowpack

- crown in the starting zone

- the power of avalanches