Scanned the surrounding mountains during a lunch break but didn’t see any recent avalanche activity.
Observation: Chugach State Park
Location: Arctic Valley
Prepping for an avy class next weekend and no ski buddy today so went to Arctic Valley to practice pits. Parked in the small lot just below the main resort area and dug pits along the short trail that goes south from the road at about 2,400 feet elevation.
Observer Comments
Weather
Nice day! Sunny with a slight breeze. Around 25-30 degrees.
Snow surface
Dug six pits (details below). Observed 2-4 inches of light snow on top of the snow pack.
Snowpack
Five of the six pits had a thin, 0.5 cm melt freeze crust 20-40 cm down, and most of the tests were failing just below this crust.a Extended column tests for five pits were: ECTX (four times), ECTP4 down 20 cm on the thin crust layer, and ECTP11 at the bottom of the entire pit 115 cm down. The last pit was south facing and had a stronger sun crust near the surface and with moderate shovel pressure, the entire EC block failed at the bottom. Photos below show the 20 cm slab on top of the crust layer in two pits and the pit where the entire block failed on ECTP11.
Pit #2, ECTP4 20 cm down on the thin crust layer that was present in 5 of 6 pits but varied in depth 20-40 cm down.
Pit #3. One finger (1F) section just above the thin crust line and then pencil/one finger snow below. This pit was ECTN.
Pit #4. ECTP11 at the bottom of the pit.