Stevens Peak Observation

Followed longer angle terrain up Stevens Peak bowl today. I found impressively large surface hoar in below and near tree line clearings but didn't find any in the bowl itself. There was an interesting several day old slide that appeared to have been triggered by skiers leaving the bowl and traversing across the knob below the bowl on their way back to the trees. It was a fairly small slide but with the presence of a couple of trees and an old road cut could have been consequential. Much of the crown had filled in with blowing snow but it appeared to have been a wind slab that did not step down into deeper layers. Given the steeper terrain on this slope, I examined this from a distance and then wrapped around to a lower angle slope and dug a pit. The pit location was near tree line but in a fairly wind hammered spot which perhaps explained the somewhat shallow 82 cm snow height. Snowpack was strong except for the nearly foot of fist hard facets at the ground. I had sudden collapse (SC) results on my column test and propagation on my extended column test, both failing at the top of the facets. During my time in this snow pit, the winds really increased blowing snow off the ridge and swirly snow in rotating columns the throughout the bowl.

Photo 1: Surface hoar up to 1 cm observed in openings in below tree line E facing terrain on Stevens.

Photo 2: Appears to be a skier triggered slide from a couple of days ago.

Photo 3: Plenty of wind slab present in windy zones above 8000 feet. 

Photo 4: Looking back at old slide.

Photo 5: Winds really picked up around 11:30 with lots of blowing snow observed.