Figured I would send in some observations as we were out yesterday in Whits Lake back in Dutchman's Basin and with extreme wind the snow was getting moved around and the wind was putting snow in unusual locations. This was a wind loaded hill but a very shallow angle hill maybe 20-25 degrees. Snow broke on an old layer before this past weekend's storm, that slab was probably 14-24" think in spots. Snow was generally stable other than wind blown spots.
Had several large whumphs in windslabs at the top of bacon rind today. Interestingly they only started once a few inches of new snow had accumulated from the cold front. At the end of the day the windslabs are out there with enough load to make them pretty touchy.
No obvious signs of instability where there was no wind loading.
Alex documenting the stratigraphy on a W aspect at 8850' near the Wilderness Boundary
On a north aspect at 9200 ft, there were 1mm facets chained together almost 10mm long.
A layer of nsf's and surface hoar was failing ~10 inches deep producing easy ECTP's
A layer of nsf's and surface hoar was failing ~10 inches deep and causing shooting cracks
A layer of nsf's and surface hoar was failing ~10 inches deep and causing shooting cracks
