Observation: Summit

Calm, clear, not a cloud in the sky. 8F in the morning at the road. Temperatures warmed quickly in the sun. Light winds in the alpine and down through treeline later in the day. 19F at the car at 3pm.

Surface hoar from road level to ridgetop on non sun effected slopes. 1-2" of settled powder from the last storm. Sun crust on steep southerly aspects. In the alpine snow surface varied from lightly wind transported powder to wind scoured down to old wind crust.

Pit 1: 2500', NW aspect, 26 degree slope, HS:100cm
Small 2-3mm surface hoar at the surface. We did find the Feb 9th buried surface hoar layer, though the surface hoar is so faceted and decomposed it is hard to identify. The bottom of the snowpack in this area is ~35cm of 4-5mm depth hoar. Tests yielded failures at the layer of decomposed buried surface hoar/2mm facets 30cm down from the surface and at the depth hoar 65cm down from the surface.
Results at the buried surface hoar/facet layer were CT14 and ECTN13. Results in the depth hoar were CT20 and ECTN28.

Pit 2: 3200' SW aspect, 28 degree slope, HS:113cm
This pit was dug in a location that has seen heavy winds at various times throughout the season. This has left alternating layers of wind slab (varying from 1F to Knife hard) over facets in the top half of the snowpack. The bottom of the snowpack here is facets turning to 3-5mm depth hoar at the bottom. Tests yielded failures 15cm down from the top on a layer of small .5-1mm facets, 35cm down from the surface at a layer of 2mm facets with some decomposing surface hoar grains still present, and 85cm down from the surface at a layer of 2-3mm facets.
Results at the small .5-1mm facets 15cm down from the surface were CTV (twice), and ECTN1. Results at the 2mm facets 35cm down from the surface were CT4, CT11, ECTN14, and ECTP28 (this last result that showed propagation was due to a discontinuous wind slab present in our ECT). Results at the 2-3mm facets 85cm down from the surface were CT12 and CT24.