Frigid temperatures at the trailhead that warmed up as we got higher. At Lost Lake it was pleasant in the mid-teens. We had calm winds, clear skies and ample sunshine.
Observation: Seward
Location: Lost Lake
We snowmachined to Lost Lake from the Primrose winter route. We wanted to see if the snowpack was getting weaker from this week’s cold temperatures. Overall, the snowpack in our pit is right side up but there are some weak layers at and near the surface. It will be interesting to see how these layers adjust to our next round of snow.
The snow surface was rippled and firm in areas affected by the wind and soft in protected areas. We saw one large avalanche but are unsure when it released.
Weather
Snow surface
Surface hoar was forming on soft sugary snow that was faceting in protected areas or on old wind slabs. The mountain faces we could see were rippled on most aspects with wind transported snow.
Snowpack
We dug a pit on a west aspect at 2100'. Total snow depth was almost 6ft (177cm). The snow in general was right side up and showed no concerning results. We did notice surface hoar and a thin crust just below the surface. Below the crust we found faceting snow. These layers my become problematic when we get another snow load.
Rippled landscape from the winds. Snow was still great if you knew where to look for it.
Shiny thin crust on the surface. We also saw this in our pit.
Avalanche on a steep south aspect. From this distance the crown looks deep enough that the avalanche probably slid on weak layer deeper in the snowpack.