No storm instabilities but propagating persistent slab results

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 03/24/2016
Name: Zach Guy
Subject: No storm instabilities but propagating persistent slab results
Aspect: North East
Elevation: 9,300-10,700

Avalanches: No recent avalanches observed from Slate River Road, with good views of Emmons and Schuylkill Ridge
Weather: Scattered clouds, mild temps, calm winds, pulse of S1 near sunset.
Snowpack: 25-30 cm of settled storm snow over a dust layer, well bonded to old interface, with no fractures in stability tests and no signs of instability on steep rollovers. Minimal signs of windloading in this area. Snow surface had moistened earlier in the day and was refreezing into a breakable crust on pitches with a ENE tilt.
One profile on a due north slope BTL showed the March 6 facet layer had gained significant strength since my profile in the same area last week. Hard ECTN results and Q2 fractures in compression tests on this layer, Near treeline on a NE aspect, the same layer was above a very thin melt-freeze crust, and below 80cm of 1F slab. We got repeatable hard ECTP Q1 results on this layer (see video).