November 30, 2014
Route
Up Taylor Pass to Pastoral
Weather
Temps between mid teens and low 20s
Light NW winds
Dense fog below 3000ft and clear skies above
No precipitation
Obvious Signs of Instability
Recent Avalanches – Several skier triggered D1 loose dry sluffs on steep South and North aspects
Shooting Cracks – No
Collapsing-No
Surface Obs
1000ft – 2″ inches of new snow from Saturday on Nov.18 crust
2000ft – 6″ – 8″ of new snow combined with settled Nov.20 -22 snow on Nov.18 crust
3000ft – 6″ – 8″ of new snow with 4″ pockets of wind slab sitting on Nov.18 crust
4000ft – 4200ft – 6″ -10″ ski penetration
Snow Below the Surface
Above 4000ft – Nov.18 rain crust was not present. At 4200ft probed a variety of places and snow depth
varied between 135cm (4.5ft) – 175cm (5.5ft)
Pit @ 4200ft – 165cm total snow depth on a NNW aspect, 34* slope, wind skin surface (<1cm thick)
Dug 1 meter deep. ECTN20Q3 – 20cm, failed under shovel blade 20cm from the surface on density change
4 finger hardness to 1 finger hardness. Did not find a weak layer or rain crust in the first meter of snow.
The snowpack had good structure with little energy and only a slight weakness between a new/old snow
interface.
Ski tracks on north side of Pastoral with a wind drifted glacier feature in foreground.
View of thick dense fog laying below 3000ft in Turnagain Pass. Notice the wind affect on snow surface in foreground.
Small skier triggered D1 sluff on south aspect of Sunburst in low twilight.