Top drizzle crust is lookers right. Second crust is in my other hand.
Basel facets (bottom 50cm snowpack)
3800’ HS 130 (I wiped away top 10cm of pow)
Observation: Hatcher Pass
Location: Microdot
ECTX 3800’ west facing HS 130cm
I saw the snow profiles in recent observations and wanted to see the madness for myself. We went up Microdot, dug a hole, and found 3 crusts within the top 30cm of snow. The top crust is easily breakable with your ski and top two crusts with boot penetration.
At this point I was wondering how “survival ski” the decent would be. Skiing ended up being fun at slow speeds when you didn’t have to turn. The sound it makes reminds me a bit like skiing surface hoar.
Drizzle crust is covered in 10cm of fluffy pow (what made the skiing fun) Second crust is a few cm below that. Facets are forming in between layers. The third crust is decomposing and chunkier at 100cm (HS 130) 30cm from the top of the snowpack.
Bottom 50cm are hollow cupped, chain linked facets. I found chunks of them sticking together in the piles of snow I shoveled to dig a pit. So maybe they’re starting to think spring too?