Castle Pass- crusts galore

We took a little tour up to Castle Pass today during an AIARE 2 class. Snow surfaces were firm throughout our trip, including in the trees and on exposed slopes.  There was a hint of softening on the SE-facing slopes at the pass in the early afternoon. 

Most interesting to us was the variability in the snowpack. About 10 feet from where we took this picture the surface crust (0-3cm) separated cleanly from the sugary snow beneath it (3-5cm) when we lifted the crust from the snowpack.  Where we took this picture, the surface crust was better bonded to the softer snow below it. 

We did not ski the slope.