Improving PWL strength on Elephants Hump

We went to Elephants Hump to monitor the strength of the Jan 4 persistent weak layer (PWL) in easily manageable terrain and to see wind drifting associated with today's wind slab problem.

We toured through different aspects and elevations and dug 3 separate snowpits. As is frequently the case with strength gain in PWLs, test results become a spotty mix of some test results that indicate problematic instability and some that do not. See the screenshots in the photos sections for snowpit locations, all were below treeline on N aspects with an elevation range from 8,070' to 8,810'. Test results targeting the Jan 4 PWL are as follows: Pit 1 produced ECTN results, Pit 2 produced ECTP-25, ECTX, PST 64/100 end results, and Pit 3 produced 2xECTN, PST 95/100 end results. Aside from the single ECTP result, we saw no other signs of instability associated with the current persistent slab problem in this specific area.

Strong SW winds were drifting snow along the ridgetops (photo 1) and depositing hard wind slabs 2 to 4 inches thick in lee areas. Wind slab cracking that we were able to trigger was highly localized and did not show long propagation.

Snow surface conditions were not gloppy, but we did intentionally trigger some rollerballs and pinwheels that grew to about 1 foot in size on a NE aspect at ~8,000'.