Strong snow on top of facets in Third Creek

Cold temperatures and light winds have left soft unconsolidated snow on most aspects and at most elevations. Near and above treeline wind scoured areas are the exception with some icy crusts and firm wind buffed surfaces on top of the snowpack in these very exposed areas. Ski cuts and small oven sized cornice pieces dropped on wind loaded test slopes where soft and hard wind slabs remained today did not trigger any fractures in the slopes on N-NE-E aspects in the Third Creek Drainage. The small cornices on these test slopes did remain fragile and could be easily broken with ski kicks. Snowpit tests and data indicated that the snow above the old persistent weak layers continues to settle and consolidate, but that this strong thick layer of snow still rests on top of weak facets. In this area the Dec. facet layers are now buried 150-200 cm down in the snowpack.