Conditions Update in John F Steven's Canyon

Location Name: 
Pro Observation - Shed 7 East
Date and time of observation: 
Thu, 11/30/2017 - 10:37
Location Map: 

Red Flags: 
Whumphing noises, shooting cracks, or collapsing
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Hiked up Shed 7 East to check on weather station and inspect early winter condtions at upper elevations.  Found 0-50cm of snow on most aspects and slopes above 5000'. 

We experienced light - moderate SW winds all day with temperatures below freezing and constant.  In specific isolated terrain, we experienced small shooting cracks.

We dug a quick pit in an isolated windloaded NE slope near the weather station (at 6000') to take a peak at the halloween crust, the thanksgiving crust, and any recent snow accumulation over the past week. The Thanksgiving rain event appears to have drenched the entire underlying snowpack, including the halloween crust. The Thanksgiving crust was 20cm thick, about 50cm from the surface, and challenging to dig through. Above it, we found a mixed layering of new fallen and wind drifted snow with a reactive 5cm thick weaker layer of new snow lingering ~30cm from the surface. There was a noticable windslab forming on the surface of the snow. Test result: ECTP12@80cm on the mentioned soft layer.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpit videos (tests, etc): 

20171130_windslab

Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
25% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Light (Twigs in motion)
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Activity: 
Hiking