Mostly clear, clouds slowly building in the afternoon
Temperatures: -19°F at the truck in the morning, 4° F high point, -5° at the truck at the end of the day.
Calm wind
Observation: Summit
Location: Tenderfoot
Standard uptrack to 3000′. Northside descent.
Surface inventory and tracking NYE crust. The peaks on the west side of the highway had more wind effect (did not get good photos). Some ridges scoured to rock. One recent (in the last week) looking wind slab on Colorado peak.
Weather
Snow surface
.5-1mm surface hoar, 1" of Sunday/Monday snow faceting.
No wind effect observed on tour
Snowpack
See photos. 2mm grid for grain photos
Overall snowpack is faceting. The NYE crust is variable thickness. Facets both above and below. This combo is around 6" to a foot below the surface.
No slab found. No formal snowpack tests.
Probed on the south side of Tenderfoot as well. Snowpack near ridge varied from 130 cm to 200 cm. Also dug in a deeper spot and found old wind deposited snow to ground that was all small facets ( .5mm) overall structure was much different than the shallower snowpack on the other side of the ridge.
The December 9th crust is also very pronounced in all pits with developed facets above.
Snowpack @ 1850', HS: 65cm
NYE crust 1850'
Facets above the NYE crust 1850'
Snow above the NYE crust @ 1850', buried surface hoar and facets.
NYE crust 2300'
Snowpack @ 2500'
NYE crust 2500'
Facets below the NYE crust 2500'
Surface hoar 2500'
Snowpack north side of Tenderfoot 2900', HS: 70cm
Cross-loading on Butch from north winds
Winds slab on Colorado