Date of Observation: 01/23/2016
Name: Evan Ross
Aspect: East, South East, South
Elevation: 9,400-10,800
Avalanches:
Weather: Few clouds through most of the day, increasing in the afternoon around 3pm. Calm wind. 39F air temp at 10,700ft at 2pm.
Snowpack: -5cm moist snow forming a new MFcr crust on all sunny slopes traveled, generally steeper then 25-30 degrees. SH was being melted back by todays sun, on isolated to the lower elevation valleys. Shaded easterly slopes felt faceted on the surface, or a completely weak snowpack on steeper slopes that avalanched back in Christmas.
Each group felt a collapse approaching pit location on SE slopes. At 10,700, SE aspect, 25 degrees, HS 80cm, ECTPM SC X2 down 30cm on the 1/14 interface. Crust over thicker facet layer transitioning into the decaying Christmas Slab. Didn’t travel much on this aspect in avalanche terrain, so these pits where the only observations gathered for this aspect.