NW wind actively loading leeward slopes along ridgelines during tour.
Observation: Girdwood
Location: Ragged Bowl
Ascended to 2700′ and found an upside down, thin, and weak snowpack. Test results showed propagation potential on buried surface hoar (BSH), facet/crust layers, and depth hoar on the ground.
Observer Comments
Weather
Low valley fog in Girdwood Valley that broke up intermittently during the day to clear skies above.
Temperatures in the mid 20s.
Moderate winds along ridges. Light wind at treeline. Calm winds below treeline.
No precipitation.
Snow surface
Decomposing stellar dendrites below 2200'.
Above 2200' the wind has formed a mix of 2" wind crusts, supportable wind slabs, sastrugi, and scoured the snow down to the Jan. melt freeze crust (MFC) in areas.
Snowpack
The snowpack is thin, weak, and upside down. Below 1800' we got propagation in tests on BSH 0.5' down and facet/MFC layers 1'-1.5' down in the snowpack. Above 1800' we got propagation in tests down 1'-1.5' on facet/MFC layers and down 3' on the ground.
The old melt freeze and rain crusts down 1'-1.5' were breakable and decomposing up to 2300'. At 2700' the upper portions of the melt freeze and rain crusts were breakable, with a solid, knife hard foot thick section of crust near the ground.
Snow depths: 2' at 1300', close to 3' at 1800', variable at 0.5'-4' along ridgelines at 2450', 0.5'-3' at 2700' along ridgelines. I suspect the loaded NW aspect has deeper snow depths.
Upside down structure with propagation on facet/crust layers and depth hoar.
Propagation in ECT on depth hoar at 2700'
A reactive weak layer: fist hard facets pouring out between decomposing MFC at all elevations up to 2700'.
Upside down structure and ECTP on BSH and facet/MFC layers at 1800'
Poor structure at 1300'
Wind has formed sastrugi and scoured down the snow to old melt freeze crust along ridgelines.
Wind has drifted in old tracks and built 2" wind crusts above 2200'
Surprise Bowl and Goat Ridge above the valley fog
Pit location at 2700' looking out over valley fog