Observation from Frog Lake Cliffs

The fresh snow on Carson Pass towards Elephants Back was just deep enough for careful skinning. Scratching the occasional rock was a good reminder that the roughly foot of fresh snow fell on bare ground in much of this area, except for north aspects. We dug a pit to investigate the facets that we have been monitoring on shady north slopes and they are still there under about a foot of powder. In the our pit location the new snow was soft and uncohesive and mostly lacking slab properties. When we got up close to Elephants Back bowl it appeared that some small slides had run from the corniced ridge line but visibility was bad at this point of the day. We kicked on some wind pillows and small cornices and saw minimal cracking and small blocks falling as a result.

Photo 1: Still running water in creeks along the way towards Elephants Back.

Photo 2: Snow was close to the minimum necessary for skinning in much of the area we traveled today. 

Photo 3: ECTN. The weak facets are still there but this ECT did not propagate. 

Photo 4: Looking down on the top of a PST 20/100 SF. The SF crack is visible on the surface. (SF = Slab Fracture where the overlying slab is too uncohesive at the moment to keep the fracture below it. 

Photo 5: Evidence of wind on the fresh snow. 

Photo 6: Evidence of previous freezing rain.