Observation: Public

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Observations

We were on the 5646 ft se Ridge to trapper's peak and noticed a sugary layer 6-8 inches on top of a hard crust. Our original goal was trapper's, but after observing this and seeing the slope we backed off. I performed an ect test on the western slope right under the Ridge and noted the aforementioned 6-8 inches of sugar, with consolidation below. I had to hit pretty hard to get a fracture and separate the layers, so the rest of the snow was consolidated.

Other observations were the wind loading that was evident on the Ridge along with east facing cornices. The snow level really started around 3500-4500 ft Ellensburg and we had to don snowshoes around 4300