Avalanches: Skier triggered hangfire, 65 cm deep failing on 5-7 mm preserved surface hoar and breaking into low angle terrain that is skied regularly.
Weather: Overcast. Light to moderate snowfall throughout the morning.
Snowpack: 50-70 cm of new snow in the last two days. HS ranged from 80 cm to 135 cm depending on terrain and elevation. Storm slab became more substantial with gain in elevation. Observed a preserved surface hoar layer on N/NE aspects above 9,600′.

Avalanches: Observed one large collapse at ridgeline on a flat slope.
Weather: Light to moderate snowfall through the day. Moderate west to northwest winds at ridgetop. Overcast.
Snowpack: About 6″ of new storm snow. Probing on northerly aspects, found the snowpack ranged from 80 cm to 140 cm. Structure was quite variable. Some slopes held a very soft snowpack throughout, fist hardness. Other slopes held stronger midpack, with basal weak layers. On southerly aspects, the snowpack was shallower, <80 cm.  There was a very thin meltfreeze crust below today’s new snow, and a thicker meltfreeze crust near the bottom (12/11 MFcr), about 50 cm deep.  One pit found no facets above this crust, and decent bonding, ECTN-15 50 cm down on that crust.  Another pit we found a fist hard facet layer above the crust.  The 12/11 crust was thick and on the ground in places, in others, its thin with facet layers below or a crust/facet/crust combo below.

Avalanches:
Weather: Wx station still down. Obscured sky all day with periods of S‐5 snow. Moderate to strong winds all day, more SW in the morning and W toward the PM.
1‐3” tonight, 1‐3” tomorrow West winds 15‐25 mph.
Snowpack: 8” of new settled to 6”. Lots of minimal surface cracking in today’s new snow due to the intensity and wind. Last week’s snow is becoming more cohesive still. Likely due to warm days and now cold + settlement. Many cracks in steeper roles going full depth, especially near and below treeline (Knob steep, Cocktail), propagation is less (20‐60’) and the slab just doesn’t seem able to pull out. This will be a concern with new snow in the coming days. We are at 2.5” of H2O in the past 6 days.
Newly formed slabs are showing clean shears on crusts in sunny areas. Fast ski cuts are not effective. Heavy dolphin‐ing is the only way to penetrate the slab, and is becoming more and more difficult.

Avalanches:
Weather: WEATHER: See PM Instability Form below:
Snowpack: SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: See PM Instability Form below

unnamed-2

Avalanches: Popped a decent storm slab out on a steeper roll on NE facing avalanche path BTL. Slab was probably 60cm, and had some push to it., collapsing and propagating probably 20ft. Did not feel comfortable on steep terrain today, however, did ski small steep features nervously.
Weather: Cold air advection and orographics was surprisingly heavy and last throughout tour, showery in nature ranging from S-1 to S5. Around 6″ new in Brush overnight and today. When we gained more near treeline ridgeline, W-NW wind was a steady 15mph with a few gusts to 30. No real Solar effect on any terrain today.
Snowpack: Snowpack was surprisingly deep, but expectations may have just been that low… HS ranged 40cm to 120cm depending on wind effect and elevation. 3-5mm depth hoar first 10cm, smaller facets, with about 15-50cm new snow which was becoming slabby , especially below treeline where new snow is cohesive enough hold slab above super weak, larger grained facets. Extended column tests showed no slab firm enough for ECT to show, but was getting localized collapses around skis all day. one ECT near ridgeline after finding old hardslab. ECTPV and ECTPE SC below hardslab. Windloading confined to ridgelines where we travelled. No wind effect BTL, aside from open meadows.

skier triggered BTL pocket on steep roll. Lots of hangfire 2nd skier avoided by skiing bed surface

Avalanches: observed small windslab (50′ x 10-20″ deep) on NE facing slope in extreme terrain on Whetstone, as well as similar size windslab on SE facing slope at ridgeline in Anthracites.
Weather: Overcast, with cold morning but warmed nicely. Light SW breeze at ridgetop today. Solar was present but not intense.
Snowpack: Travelled standard uptrack in Anthracites, snowpack was consistent 80-120cm deep, most notably a very widespread layer of surface hoar from last night’s cold, clear, calm night. Surface hoar 4-6mm, and present in shorter pungey trees all the way to branches. In darker timber SH was NOT present. Also evident was drifts in trees from strong NW winds last few days.

See video for test pit results. ECTX, and ECTP30 – sudden collapse at ground on 3-5mm depth hoar.

no signs of instability today aside from spooky pit results.

Anthracites20151219_graphicalpit_Havlick-page-001