Observation: Public

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Observations

We were booting up where the summer trail switchbacks up the slope (4700', SW aspect, ~35 degrees) when we noticed our steps "mushing" through a layer of crust rather than kicking into hard pack. Dug down and found 6" of new snow above a 1" crust over an obvious facet layer, with hard thick crust below that. Did an extended column test and had a clear fracture with propagation on the facet layer (ECTP 11). That was enough to turn us around. Luckily we had just gotten above the copious avy debris so the skiing was terrible :).