Let It Rain

I traveled to WMR to present to The Patrol Fund level 1 avalanche class. Trying to make the most of the day, I visited the beacon park off the Greywolf run and went for a short walk east of Flower Point.

• I noted propagation with easy to moderate force in pits around 6500 feet on an east and southeast aspect. The failure occurred about a foot below the surface on a thin layer of facets adjacent to a crust. Visit the Snowpack tab for more information.
• It was easy to initiate cracking and get small slabs of snow to move as I traversed above my skin track. In areas where I had not compromised the integrity of the slope, cracking and small slab movement did not occur.  
• The March 4 rain crust is approximately 6 inches thick and supportable to foot travel. This layer is about 2 feet below the surface in this area.
• An experienced local backcountry user mentioned that his group accidentally triggered a soft slab avalanche 8-10 inches thick on a northeast aspect around 5800 feet.
• If you haven't visited the Greywolf beacon park, I recommend visiting. It is superior to the beacon park at the summit of WMR due to the lack of electrical interference and more extensive terrain, which is flatter and more open.