Unsupportable Crust at Martis Valley

Cracking occurred around my skis for essentially the entire length of the tour. This punchy crust was pervasive in the area. New snow seemed to be <1in-1 inch, increasing with elevation. Trees holding a dusting of snow on their north faces began at 6800ft.

I dug a pit at about 7100ft on an east facing slope. About an inch down was a new/old snow interface with softer snow on top. A few inches below that was a very weak layer that fell away as I touched it. Below that was about 4 inches of two finger firm snow. Then about 6 inches of melt/freeze snow made up of large rounds. Below that to the base of my pit was firm, well consolidated snow.

A crude shovel shear test produced a break at the weak layer a few inches below the surface with only the force of my shovel cutting the back of the block.