Location & Conditions
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Elevation: 7,800 feet
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Aspect: North-facing slope
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Slope Angle: 21 degrees
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Total Snow Depth: Approximately 16 inches
Snowpack Structure and Stability Tests
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Shovel Shear: No notable result, no clear shear plane.
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Compression Tests: Three tests performed. Failures varied: one at 22 taps, others around 15–16 taps. No consistent or definitive failure layer noted.
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Extended Column Test (ECT): Failure occurred at about 23 taps but did not propagate. The weak layer just broke down into the faceted snow without a full propagation.
Snow Layers Description
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Basal Layer: About 2 inches of wet, faceted snow right on the ground.
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Mid-Pack Crust and Layers:
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A 1-inch crust layer above the basal facets.
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Above this crust, about 8 inches of finger-hardness snow that formed about two weeks ago.
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Another 1-inch rain or melt-freeze crust on top of that.
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Top layer: About 4 inches of new, dense, and slightly wet snow from the last 24 hours.
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Wind and Surface Conditions
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Wind Impact: Significant wind event yesterday brought down a lot of debris—downed trees, branches, and pine needles covering the snow surface. The top layer of snow included about 2 inches from the previous day and another inch or two that fell during the morning before heavy snowfall resumed around noon.
Riding Conditions
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On mellow slopes, the snow rode fairly well despite being dense and wet. We did not break through to the lower crust layers unless on steeper terrain. Overall, the snowpack was moist throughout.
