No obvious signs of instability. No significant change in temp, wind, or precipitation this week.
Observation: Hatcher Pass
Location: Lower Eldorado
Travelled up lower Eldorado. No recent avalanches. No cracking, collapsing, or whumping observed. Overall, good stability. Find the facets, find the goods!
Observer Comments
Weather
No new snow in an eternity.
Winds mild to moderate this week, reaching gusts of 18 mph 3/21. Landscape looks like winds were stronger than recorded.
Temps have warmed up this week, low of -1 deg.F, high of 30 deg. F, averaging 12 deg. F at 3550'.
3/23 temps: High of 17 deg. F at 1300 at 4050'
Snow surface
Super variable. Patchy old wind slab 1-4" thick, thin suncrust <1" thick, facets galore, sastrugi, more facets, hardpack. Significant 2-3mm NSF's under surface crusts.
Snowpack
see pit
Deep facets and depth hoar at ground are taking more force to fail.
Upper old wind slab failing on isolation in locations, but not propagating. This layer is patchy and not widespread.
2-3 mm NSF's under crust
Marmot still looks like a ski area
Thin sun crust
NSF on bottom of crust
Old wind crust 2-4" thick in isolated locations
Facets Facets Facets..its all facets in many locations!
Variable conditions still exist
Old wind crust failed on isolation, but did not go anywhere
profile (5)