Small Wind Slabs, Surface Hoar, and Near Surface Facets on Castle Peak

Along the ridgelines in near and above treeline terrain above 8200 ft. cornices overhung many of the slopes. Small sensitive wind slabs existed below these cornices on some of these slopes but the sensitive wind slabs only measured a few cm or in. deep and did not extend very far away from the ridges. Snowpit test did indicate that these small winds slabs remain sensitive to triggering and ski cuts produced small localized cracking in them. Older harder wind slabs existed on some of the upper elevation (above 8700 ft) leeward slopes, but snowpit tests and ski cuts did not reveal lingering instabilities on these older harder wind slabs. 

In the non-wind-affected areas, some sun affected snow that was starting to become wet and sticky and a few areas with thin breakable crusts existed on the E-SE-S-SW-W aspects. On the sheltered northerly aspects, cold unconsolidated snow comprised mostly of weak sugary near surface facets existed above thick frozen supportable rain crust. Widespread thin feathery surface hoar existed on the snow surface in sheltered areas. 

Snowpit is from 8150 ft. on a NW aspect.

Photo 1: Cornices above the N side of Castle Peak.

Photo 2: Surface hoar on a N aspect at 8500 ft. 

Photo 3: Small wind slab on a wind-loaded test slope. The slab only measured about 5-10 cm (2-4 in) thick and did not extend downslope very far.

Photo 4: ECTN on a wind-loaded test slope at 8800 ft. on a NE aspect at the coordinates attached to the observation.