Observations from Fireplug and Mt. Rose

It is still January. The sun stays low in the sky, and the nights are long. These conditions often lead to weak layer formation in the snowpack. We have seen some areas on shady N aspects with cold soft surface snow that could become a weak layer. So, we went to the N aspects on Fireplug to investigate. We did find patches of soft sugary snow on the surface on N aspects sheltered from the wind. We found firm wind-packed and wind-scoured snow on the more exposed north-facing slopes. We also traversed back and forth down a north-facing slope known for holding shallower and weaker snow. We probed in 30 to 40 locations in this area to see what might lurk below the surface. We only found a few spots near rocks with weak snow below the surface. We did not find signs of a widespread and continuous buried weak layer. 

After investigating the N aspects, we moved over to the sunny southerly-facing slopes on Mt. Rose. Widespread cloud cover existed across the area this morning. The skies cleared out by mid to late morning, and by noon the sun softened the snow on SE-S-SW aspects up to at least 10,200 ft. The wettest snow existed on the S aspects followed by the SW aspects with less wet snow on the SE aspects. These sunny slopes remained supportable into the afternoon. Ski cuts on steep slopes where wet snow existed only triggered minor roller balls and small pinwheels.