Went towards Baker Pass today to look at mid-elevation southerly aspects, particularly how the snow was fairing above and below a few mid-pack crusts. I dug a pit on the south face of Gobblers Knob at 8800' and found an HS of 85cm. The uppermost crust lied 22cm below the surface and was sitting beneath an 8cm thick layer of faceting rounds (0.5mm). A compression test showed CT22-PC on this layer of faceting rounds. The crusts that surprised me last week on a similar elevation and aspect were in the bottom 23 cm of the snowpack, beneath a dense 1F slab (29cm thick). The rounding facets above and below these lower crusts did not produce results in my tests today.

I imagine these deeper problems on the southerlies will heal in good time, however something to keep in mind is the snow directly above the uppermost crust lying 22cm beneath the surface. With no significant snowfall on the horizon, temperature swings throughout the night and day might make this layer more of a problem.