Observation: Chugach State Park

Location: Peak 2-3 area

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

Climbed up to near the Peak 3 shoulder and dug a pit at 3500′ West facing where
slope angle was 29 degrees in strong wind and with rapid loading (86cm pit
filled in 1/4 of the way multiple times while working in it). Snowpack
stratigraphy from the the bottom: thin layer of fist hard depth hoar, irregular
melt freeze crust, 4F facet layer, thin and even melt freeze crust, 1F- facet
layer, pencil wind-packed rounds, 1F-P windpacked rounds, 4F+ freshly windloaded
rounds. Windblasting prevented further details.

Interesting test results: 1st CTV Q2 on the thin and even melt freeze crust, 2nd
CTV Q2 and ECPTV Q2 on facets just above irregular melt freeze crust.

Snowpack seems to have weakened since two weeks ago, likely under the clear and
cold conditions between then and Xmas storm. A few inches of new snow from this
week along with a lot of redistribution of snow by wind has shaken things up a bit.

Skied the gully, not any higher than the pit, without problem. Checked out the
gully between Peaks 2 and 3 and it was noticeably slabbier in places with little
pockets of windslab that would pull out. Some small cracking in places.

Some localized cracking and whoomphing on the approach in windloaded areas.