Observation: Summit

Location: Fresno

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

We toured up Fresno to 2600′ to see if new weak layers were buried after the 1/7 storm. We also wanted to get an update on Thanksgiving crust/facet combo especially in shallower snowpack. Winds were strong from the east loading slopes and surface hoar was found on the surface at lower elevations. The glide avalanche on Fresno slid again as well as two new glide cracks on John and Roaring Ridge.

Weather & Snow Characteristics
Please provide details to help us determine the weather and snowpack during the time this observation took place.
Weather

Cloudy skies with occasional rays of sunshine and strong east winds on the ridges were transporting snow to leeward features. Temperatures were warmer, steadily rising from 21F to low 30's. No new precipitation.

Snow surface

The surface was a mash up of surface hoar near the highway and in wind protected areas, wind affected stiffer snow, and soft snow. Rime and wind scattered surface hoar was observed on the ridge at 2500'

Snowpack

We dug two pits, one on at 2050' on a west aspect and the other at 2500' on a south aspect. In both pits we did not get any alarming results but there were some interesting things to note. In the 2050' pit there is a buried weak layer 25cm down that will be interesting to see how it responds to more snow. Also, in both pits the facets above and below the Thanksgiving crust were less cohesive as well as the basal facets.

Photos & Video
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