Faceting Snow on Tamarack Peak

We toured in the Tamarack Peak area today to collect data and observe how the existing snowpack has changed at higher elevations over the last 10 days.  Enough snow was present to ski from the trailhead and back for our tour.  Snow coverage was ski supportable and became  mostly continuous around 9000' on N-E aspects. Minimal snow coverage exists on other aspects.  There was 1-2'' of new snow in this area with some light wind loading that had previously occurred.  Some small 4'' wind slabs were found on the highest ridges that cracked, but did not extend downslope and did not present any issues for backcountry users. 

We dug a snowpit on a N aspect at 9700' and found a shallow faceted snowpack of about 2.5 feet deep.  The middle of the snowpack, made up of decomposing rain crusts and faceted snow, is the main concern for future loading events as it continues to facet and become weaker.  This weak snow rests on top of very hard (icy) base layer that makes up the lower 1 foot or so of the snowpack. This firm base represents an efficient bed surface that negates much of the rocks and logs that sometime anchor a shallow snowpack. For now there is not a substantial overlying slab. More new snow will be needed to create the overlying slab.

Similar developing problematic weak layers seem to exist in the mid or upper snowpack at elevations near and above 9000' on N-NE-E aspects that have seen some light rain, but not rain that has penetrated the whole snowpack.  We will be monitoring these layers through the upcoming forecasted dry period and as our next storm loading event arrives.