Variability in SH distribution

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/21/2017
Name: Evan Ross
Subject: Variability in SH distribution
Aspect: North, North East, South West
Elevation: 10,000ft to 11,000ft

Avalanches:
Weather: What happened to the storm, bummer. Snow showers on and off adding up to a few inches through the day. No wind down low and poor visibility of higher terrain. Thin clouds allowed for green housing on southerly slopes.
Snowpack: Traveled on below treeline terrain up to 11,000ft. The 1/19 surface hoar was both difficult to identify in pit walls and spatially variable. Surprisingly in one location at 11,000ft on a northerly slopes it wasn’t there. Test results where within the storm. 10,500ft northeasterly aspect the SH was small and difficult to identity. 40cm of recent storm snow was still very soft and had little cohesion. Southwest at 10,000ft the SH was about 2mm tall on top of a 1cm crust. Storm snow above was about 40cm and F+ hard with green housing helping with settlement. Snowmobile and ski tracks on good test slops looked to have no results or cracking.