Buried Surface Hoar--Taylor Fork

This layer of buried surface hoar is a problem in the southern Madison Range. Its not widespread and seems to be absent on south facing slopes and high alpine slopes, but I found it on many others.  As I skinned on the flats my partner and I got a huge "whumph" and I could see a crack 200 feet away on a small hill.  It fractured on this layer and answered the question, "Can this layer propagate a fracture?" with a resounding YES.  Photo: Doug Chabot