No obvious signs of instability while touring up to this point.
Observation: Hatcher Pass
Location: Base of “Farside” run, South of The Pinnacle
Toured up from Independence parking lot through rock garden to base of Farside run below The Pinnacle.
Observer Comments
Weather
Noted banners of snow transport on skyscraper ridge but no local wind - felt protected. Fully overcast with very gray flat light. Hard to make out numerous microfeatures in the terrain
Snow surface
Consistent 10-20cm light loose dry snow on top of hard crust
Snowpack
Dug snow pit at marked location. Found conditIons at following depths:
0-20 cm: loose dry snow softer than fist
20-30cm: hard crust, bare finger (no pencil handy)
30cm layer: persistent Q2 shear layer throughout
30-40cm: tip hard
40-65cm: four tips
65-deeper: didn’t dig further
Column compression test failed at 22. Shear at 30cm deep Q2 layer. Was able to cleanly lift block off. See video
Repeated test with large 60cm sides block failed informal hand pull shear test at same layer.
Looking at visisble weak layer
Column compression test block
Large informal hand shear test block
The mad snow scientist