Observations from Lincoln Ridge

We went to Yuba Pass today to take a look at some of the lower elevation terrain. At the pass (6700 ft.), we found supportable snow with a thin layer of softer snow on top of it. As we continued up the road from the pass the snowpack remained supportable and the soft snow layer on top grew to a couple of inches. We could still see all the mounds and bumps in the snow surface where it covered small stumps, shrubs, and other things. Widespread surface hoar existed in open sheltered areas below treeline, but in more exposed areas less surface hoar existed. Along the ridge, we could see evidence of wind transport in the form of drifts on the leeward side and wind-sculpted snow along the ridge. 

We dug into the snowpack several times to try and find any evidence of instability. We could easily find the interface between the old and new snow and there was a softer weaker layer of snow (facets) near the ground, but tests and data indicated that both the old/new snow interface and the weaker snow at the bottom of the snowpack are gaining strength (see pit and photos). We did not find any signs of instability.