Pre storm observations from Blue Lakes

I went to Blue Lakes today, to assess the snowpack before we get another storm tomorrow. On sunny slopes and windward slopes, I found very little snow above the firm snow buried on March 19th. On shaded and wind loaded slopes, I found more snow that's fallen since March 19th, including a graupel layer at the bottom of it. Most of this snow was still unconsolidated today. I went to a wind loaded, near treeline slope and found 1.5ft of snow above the firm layer buried on March 19th, and an Extended Column Test did not propagate (38.65974, -119.92315). I felt the test wasn't valid because my shovel was so far down into the potential slab before I triggered the graupel layer, so I tried a Propagation Saw Test instead. It propagated when my saw was less than 50% of the upslope length, indicating instability on the graupel layer. I did a second PST and got similar results. 

Then I moved to a recently reported avalanche site, and found even more snow above the graupel and firm layer. The avalanche report said it occurred on the 24th, which is consistent with the inch or two of new snow on the debris. There was another snowmobile track in the area, with about the same amount of new snow above it as on the debris, but I'm not sure if the rider was the trigger, or simply went to look at the avalanche as I did today. At this location (pindrop), I did two Extended Column Tests that both propagated on my last tap (photo), indicating instability on the graupel layer even three days after the avalanche occurred.