Observation: NWAC Forecaster

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Weather Summary

Pleasant day with slowly increasing cloud cover and cool temps. Cloud caps formed over some high peaks like Dakobed and Stuart during the day.

Noted a few avalanches;
An old D1.5 windslab off SE aspect at 6,000ft
An old D2-2.5 off SE aspect in West Camp above Berne. Looked like the crown wrapped to the west into the next starting zone over. Estimated ~2/20.
Easy to initiate small surface loose dry slides in the weakening snow that ran far on wind stiffened layers 10-15cm down.

Snowpack Observations

Very icy and firm the first few hundred feet in the trees above the trailhead.
Middle elevations held 10cm over a few thin crust layers.
Upper elevations held 10-15cm of low density and weakening snow over pencil to 1F+ hard wind stiffened, or just more dense surfaces. Skinning was often slippery on this layer.

Snow surfaces were sparkly in the shade. Small grained surface hoar and a thin layer of diurnal recrystallized snow was widespread on shaded aspects. Southeast aspects were still mostly dry mid-day, but direct south became dampened by the sun and warming temps.

The snowpack felt well settled, with creep and settlement cones near vegetation. We noted quite a bit of previously formed wind slab and texturing, but very little reactivity and only observed one area that would produce some cracking at ridgeline with skin track tests. Generally fast, soft and fun downhill skiing conditions.

A profile on SE aspect at 6,000ft found an HS of 222cm.
CTM/CTH SC down 42cm on small facets (1F-) beneath a ~1cm MFcr (2/13). ECTN H here.
One test failed CTH SP in 2 spots simultaneously; 20cm down on a recent interface with small grained facets beneath windslab, and down 32cm on a more recent, thinner crust (2/20).