Observation: Public

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Observations

We traveled to just below 6000' on a north slope with travel on east and northeast slopes. Most notable was a temperature of 46F at the car at 0730, with balmy, mild temps throughout the day. At 5300' we dug on north and found poor structure: 3-8cm of facets between the 1/20 surface and 1/30 storm snow. CT 11 and CT12 with resistant planar shears, ECTN12, and no red flags showed limited propagation potential of the current snow load over these large and rounding facets.

Surface conditions vary greatly based on aspect and sun and wind exposure.

Take away: While structure is poor, there doesn't seem to be enough of a slab to test the facets at present.

Prospectus: with warming temps and only a limited storm forecasted for the zone, the persistent slab seems less likely than potential wet loose and wind slab problems in the Icicle.