More photon therapy, please!

Climbed up southerly slopes on Running Rabbit Mountain to see how winds from the competing Polar and Pacific air masses have affected the snow surface in a canyon that funnels those winds. Also did a welfare check on the Shed 11 weather station. 

• While wind-drifted and wind-hardened snow was common at all elevations, the thin, small hard slabs were the most reactive (cracks 5-15 feet when weighted). These were confined to top-loaded southerly slopes and cross-loaded ridges (image). 
• We triggered two harmless hard slabs on test slopes on southerly slopes at upper elevations (image, avalanche tab). 
• We saw two older loose dry avalanches on an upper elevation southerly slope (avalanche tab).
• We could not see distant slopes due to clouds. 
• The snowpack on mid-elevation slopes was right-side up (progressively harder with depth) with no evident weak layers. Slope cuts on steep slopes did not produce results, nor did skiing a large, open bowl. 
• The weakest snow is at low elevations (below 5000 feet). A layer of soft facets is sandwiched by a 4 finger slab above and a hard rain crust. This structure cracked at switchback corners (image). We accidentally triggered a small soft slab avalanche (avalanche tab) on a steep slope involving this structure. This structure may persist and prove problematic when loaded. 
• Good coverage down low for this time of year. 

Took 3 puffy jackets; only used 2. Our ascent was sheltered from the west-northwest winds and surprisingly comfortable, particularly while recieving photon therapy when sun was out.