Pit Results from Carson Range

Dug a pit on the SE facing slope above Monument Pass, accessed out a Heavenly backcountry gate. The slope was at an elevation of approximately 9900', and at an angle of 25 degrees. Sunshine was abundant, and temps were above freezing. The surface was a softening melt-freeze crust, and HS varied in the area from 140-160 cm. Structure remains poor at this site, as the November snow survived and faceted here, probably due to the elevation, despite the aspect. However, the depth of the facets, and the hardness of the layers above them have made it nearly impossible to trigger a slab on this layer, as evidenced by two CTN results.  A deep tap and propagation saw test did demonstrate that if a failure were to somehow occur, propagation could certainly occur. 

The buried surface hoar layer was found at 66 cm, and as expected, was crushed, and yielded no snowpack results. Most of the snowpack was rounded, with minimal faceting occurring. 

Ultimately, while structure is poor, and propagation potential exists, with the current set up, triggering this weak layer is incredibly unlikely, at least on this aspect and with these snow depths.