None observed
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Sunburst to 2400'
Quick afternoon tour to 2400′ to check how the new snow is bonding to old snow surfaces.
Observer Comments
Weather
Snowing lightly throughout tour, low density fluff!
Calm winds
Cold, 10F at truck and 2F on ridge top
Snow surface
4-6" of slightly rimed stellars
Snowpack
New snow was landing on either surface hoar, sun crust or near surface facets. It was easy to get small sluffs on steep slopes and micro soft slabs at the interface in hand pits.
Probed along the shoulder near the steep gully on the lower west slope of Sunburst from 2200' to 2400'. HS varied from 30 cm to 210. The average was 90 cm.
Dug a pit at 2200' on west aspect, 23 degrees HS: 110 (see photo)
F layer of new snow over surface hoar resting on near surface facets.
1F slab transitioning to
Pencil wind crust
4F small facets
1F facets
F developed facets over
Pencil faceted melt freeze crust at the ground. Compression tests failed on the small facets below the wind crust CT 23 x2. ECTX x2. Poor structure by not very reactive
New snow failed easily in shovel tilt on new buried surface hoar. Not enough slab yet to be a concern. Buried surface hoar, near surface facets and sunburst interface all have the potential to be a concern if the load increases.
Easy sluffing of new snow
Newly buried surface hoar 1300' 1-2cm.
Buried surface hoar over micro sun crust
Buried surface hoar 4mm @ 2200'
Shovel tilt failing easily on buried surface hoar @ 2200'
Pit @ 2200'
A ptarmigan surprise in the pit wall!