Our plans changed today when our ECT propagated at 14 taps, failing within the depth hoar. We were surprised by this result (the steep angle of the slope in which we dug our snow pit tells something of the confidence we felt in the snowpack prior to this result. we backed off from the steep objective we initially planned to ski and opted for mellower terrain. I think it would be difficult to trigger this layer deep within the snowpack, but worry about shallow areas near rocks or cliff bands. I also worry we may see a reactivation of this layer with the next significant loading event.

Generally, we found mature near-surface faceting under the thin rime crust from last week. The deeper rain crust was not present within the trees and sheltered areas. Surface hoar was found with variable distrubution buried under 1-2 inches of low density powder. We did not see any avalanches or experience signs of instability while traveling.