Splitboarding in the Sandbox

Day well spent exploring Southern GNP.

• Climbed a ridge from 3900-6500' before throwing in the towel to the cold temps. Luckily winds were light/calm, but still bitter our there when not moving.
• Above 6000', I noticed old wind slabs hidden beneath a thin layer of soft faceted snow. These slabs were mostly about 10-15cm thick and ranged from Pencil to 4 finger harness. Like others observed in recent days, there is weak/soft snow underlying the slab.
• Dug a pit on a (relatively) shallow SW slope to see how areas with a thinner snowpack are responing to the recent arctic air. Intended on digging in an area with a pencil hard wind slab present, but had difficulty finding a spot that seemed safe to dig on. The steeper slopes seemed to be harboring the stiffer slabs. The slab was thinner and softer at my site, I inferred that the cold air is decomposing this slab in some areas like this.
• Measured a sharp temperature gradient in the upper pack, and faceting grains thoughout. No depth hoar observed.
• No signs of instability observed during travels. however, test pointed to a layer 27cm below the surface, showing stubborn failure on a layer of small faceted grains, possibly surface hoar.
• Coverage at low elevations is shaping up okay, however the faceting/cavity hoar activity has created a lot of trap doors out there.