Date of Observation: 02/16/2016
Name: Evan Ross
Aspect: North East
Elevation: 9,400-11,100
Avalanches: Triggered a few very small facet sloughs in steep terrain that previously avalanched.
Weather: Patly cloudy due to high thin clouds. Calm winds during our tour, but we were either in protected areas or a to low elevations. Didn’t see any snow blowing off the peeks.
Snowpack: Ski pen in the 10-15 cm range with boot pen around 30cm. Many slopes have already avalanched and pose a very small facet slough problem if they are in the 40 degree range. Regarding the slopes that didn’t avalanche; some don’t have much structure at all, weak but still suportive. Others have obvious persistent slab structure, but it was unreactive. HS was around 100-130 on slopes that haven’t avalanched. Dug on one protected slope with an HS of 100cm. 1f decomposing slab over basel 4f, estimated 2mm facets. Slope test was 6 people kick turning on slope with no collapsing. The structure exists for some chance of an avalanche to happening, though we didn’t find the right place and didn’t observe any obvious signs to instability.