Observation: Public

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Observations

We traveled via commonwealth basin up to Kendall ridgeline north of Kendall peak proper. The snow was thick and generally wet until ~4500' where it transitioned to a colder, heavy layer of powder over a firm crust approximately 18" down. Hand pit tests throughout the ascent showed generally good stability, although we could see inconsistent failures both at the firm crust around 18" as well as a couple of visible storm layers between 4-8" deep. Stomp tests on test slopes were non-reactive; we did not see any snow failures during our travels. Rollerballs and tree bombs were common throughout the day with large pinwheels developing at lower elevations but no substantial natural releases or carrying of skier generated slough.

The Kendall ridgeline did show signs of wind loading on both sides of the ridge with some wind slab development on the NW aspect that generated short, isolated shooting cracks. Very firm wind scoops/mini cornices failed with minimal effort and stayed in consolidated slabs after breaking.