Observation: Public

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Observations

We took our observation at 5800 feet on a west aspect on 25 degrees. The snowpack was 190 cm. The weak layer of interest was the 1/5 storm interface which was not easily visible. A compression test showed a fracture at 40 cm on the 27th tap that was a Progressive Compression or Q3. The 40 cm of snow above the interface broke apart and was not a slab but the bed surface was intact. We did not follow up with an ECT. The shovel shear showed a Q2 fracture 65 cm down. And the 1/1 crust was visible 100 cm down as melt freeze forms. We did not test it.

Also of note is the top 10 cm of what seems to be the recent storm snow. The hand hardness (not shown in the photo) was about 4-Fingers hardness 0-8 cm, Fist hardness 9-10 cm and 4-Fingers hardness below 10 cm. It was a slight slab getting firmer through the day, possibly with above freezing temps.