Beyond enjoying a spectacular day in the mountains, my goals today were to look at a couple of recent avalanches and see if the shallow snowpack is beginning to weaken due to the cold temperatures, low sun angle, and clear skies. Overall, I found the entire snowpack is beginning to weaken and becoming less supportable than what I saw on Wednesday and Thursday. On many slopes, my skis would crash down to the facets in the bottom of the snowpack.

I traveled up the west ridge of Peak10,420' to look at the recent avalanche on Lane's Leap which was likely remotely-triggered from the ridge. Digging on adjacent slopes, there is a 4F- slab on top of the facets and ECT scores were ECTN (no propagation).

I also looked at the avalanche reported from Thursday on Scott's Bowl. I found the slab on top of the facets to be stronger: 4F hard, likely from wind-loading. This was the only pit I dug today that got propagation: ECTP21 down in the faceted layer at the ground.

Photos:

1. The avalanche on Lane's Leap traveled down into dense trees.

2. Pit on adjacent slope to Lane's Leap showing the slab is now 4F- and losing cohesion (weakening)

3. Weakening slab on top of facets and depth hoar.

4. Crystals at the bottom of the snowpack with 2-3 mm facets and some striated depth hoar.

5. Looking down from the top of Scott's Bowl avalanche that also ran into dense trees.

6. "Tracks and Cracks" - on the slope adjacent to the Scott's Bowl avalanche. The slope fractured, but didn't slide as it wasn't steep enough.

What does this mean? It is now more difficult to trigger an avalanche that fails in the PWL - although a likely place where you could trigger one would be on an upper-elevation slope with a stronger, wind-loaded slab on top of the PWL. Going forward, the existing snow will continue to weaken on all northerly aspects.