cracking of upper windslab
Observation: Chugach State Park
Location: Above S.Fork Eagle River trailhead
Due to wind distribution, snow coverage is varied from bare to drifted areas almost 2m deep. We dug on a 32 degree NE slope at about 2600′. In places, there were several thin layers of
pencil-1finger windslab cracking under our skis. Within the top 20cm we found 3 different layers of facets sandwiched between the windslab layers that failed sudden-resistent planar. The lower snowpack was pencil hard to ground.
Observer Comments
Weather
No new snow. Previous north to east wind. -2C
Snowpack
CTE down 2cm in 0.3mm facets RP, CTM down 13cm in 1m facets, CTM-H down 20cm in 1m facets. These facet layers were all sandwiched between pencil-1 finger windslabs.