Observation: NWAC Forecaster

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Weather Summary

Extensive wind loading, lots of cross loading around Heather Meadows with very strong westerly instead of southerly winds. At noon was still snowing to 3800'. No freezing rain on snow observed.

Avalanche Observation Comments:

Surprised to see limited natural avalanche activity given observations that show widespread instability. Lots of rollerballs, trees shedding snow, and very small wet loose observed seen in limited observations below treeline.

Snowpack Observations

10-60cm dense, P hard slabs from warming, wet new snow and wind loading. They are forming over dry and weak 4F snow. Very easy results, every wind feature produced some sort of shooting crack or fell apart. Hand shears failed upon isolation. Some test slopes tested themselves. Slabs were sluggish and wouldn't really do much besides crack unless the feature was completely unsupported. Maybe because of slab thickness in relation to the small test slope size (slab too well supported from below).