Hot Damn, that was good

Following a high wind warning and snow overnight, we visited the Middle Fork to check on storm totals, wind transport, and slab development.

• We found 3 inches of new snow at 4000 feet, 5 inches at 5000 feet, and 8 to 10 inches above 6000 feet. The snow remained dry through the day.
• In locations sheltered from the wind, the snow was generally low-density, cohesionless, and sat above a supportable crust.
• Moderate winds easily transported the low-density snow at and above ridgeline elevations most of the day. We encountered drifts up to 30 inches thick. The upper portion of these slabs formed today and was 4F hard, while the lower third formed during the strong winds overnight and were 1F hard. Hand pits failed at this interface.
• Occasionally, the winds would mix down to the surface below 6000 feet in a haphazard swirling pattern.
• At 6300 feet, a buried layer of facets 14 to 16 inches below the surface failed in compression tests but did not propagate. This weak layer rests on a thick, stout melt-freeze crust.