A walk in the clouds

We visited Glacier Park to check new snow totals, the state of the 12/9 and 12/22 crusts, and wind slab development.

• We found 2-3" of overnight snow at the trailhead (3200') and 4"+ at 7300'.
• The 12/22 crust was thin, breakable, and disappeared above 6800'. This layer did not present obvious feedback in stability tests. During hand pits, failure occurred with poor shear quality on a density change near this layer.
• The 12/9 crust was stout and found 18" below the surface at 6000' and 30" down at 7300'. We noted failure with hard force but no propagation in tests.
• There had been surprisingly minimal wind transport at upper elevation exposed slopes. We had minor cracking in only the most wind loaded areas.
• Cornice's development continues, but today they were soft and failed easily without propagation.
• Poor visibility prevented views of the surrounding terrain and any avalanche observations.