Public Observation - Huckleberry Ridge, Glacier National Park

We rode bikes up the Camas road from Apgar to the Huckleberry Trailhead.  The snowpack right off the road was thin and grim as you might expect.  Up high on the ridge leading to the Lookout we found 215cm of snow and dug a pit on a previously wind loaded slope.  Multiple layers of crusts exist in the snow pack but they seemed reasonably well bonded.  Extended Column Tests produced a non-propagating sloppy fracture with hard force at 190cm (ECTN24).  This seemed to be the interface of the last new snow and the "last" crust.  After the ECT I tried to manipulate the column to see of I could get it to move deeper in the snow pack and I got a very clean shear at 145cm.  (See photo)  This seemed to likely be an old buried wind slab layer.  This layer was fairly deep in the snowpack (70cm below the surface) but shows that in a thinner part of the pack and/or a heavier force than a skier (smaller slide or cornice drop?), step-down potential is still out there and things could go big.  I didn't dig to the ground but multiple probes also seemed to show that the snowpack at the ground felt rotten.   The clouds rolled in and saved the day by limiting the slush on top and we skied this east facing slope back to the road including some seriously sporty conditions down low.

Snowpit Stats:

Elevation: 6300,  Aspect: 80 degrees,  Slope Angle: 30 degrees,  Snowpack depth: 215 cm,  Boot pen: 5 cm,  Air Temp:10.8C ,  Surface Temp:0.4C  Temp at 100cm: 0.2C,