Whumpfs on Carson Pass

We heard whumpfs within minutes of leaving the trailhead at Carson Pass today. We heard very loud whumpfs that included the sensation of dropping as the weak layer collapsed. Both following an established skin track and breaking trail we heard and felt many, many whumpfs today. We dug a pit and jumped on test slopes but the loud whumpfs were the major observation from today. There is a lot of very weak snow under the fresh storm snow. When skinning up to small test slopes we repeatedly triggered a whumpf and then small cracks emerged that frequently ran 50 feet and successionally perhaps a 100 feet. On a small shady NW slope we dug a pit and once we stepped out of our skis sunk to our waist. The weak facets under the fresh powder were easy to spot and then quite reactive to tests. My first ECT showed energetic propagation on the 19th tap. As I carefully cut out my second ECT so my partner could film the test, the ECT propagated as I cut the last section of the back. The new storm snow was very light and uncohesive during our tour although temperatures were rising as we returned to the car with snow melting off trees that were in the sun.

Photo 1: Long crack in a wind affected feature. 

Photo 2: Long cracks running down several steps of this slope. 

Photo 3: Faint crown from a natural slide that likely occurred yesterday. 

Photo 4: ECTP 19 on the buried facets

Photo 5: Examining the weak sugary facets under the new storm snow. 

Photo 6: Faint crown from a natural slide that likely occurred yesterday.