a relaxing day putting in a short circuit up above the 15km parking lot.
temps were warm, with a high of +2 @ the parking lot at 10:30am & a low of -2 @1900m around 1:00pm
light precip thru the day which thankfully stayed in snow form! wind varied from light to strong & was quickly redistributing the new snow at ridgetop & in open areas below treeline. ski pen was 10-15cm. the Nov 15 crust was buried with up to 30cm of new snow on top and present on the surface in isolated areas in the open. it is supporting a skier weight when buried and breakable when on the surface.
a couple of hand shear tests had variable results from a moderate pull with a clean shear on the crust to self sliding (no pulling!) when cutting it with a ski pole. the snow above the crust was only 4 fingers in resistance, so was acting as a very soft slab (VSL) in the areas we traveled.
we had no cracking or settlements, nor did we observe any natural avalanches
as the load changes above the crust, either through more precip or wind loading, i fully expect that the slab will become stiffer & more reactive.
i encourage all to keep a heads up & have fun out there - such a great start to the season. if you have more information, especially for the more 'local' places like the Gorge, i invite you to post at the CAC discussion forums. i feel kinda lonely over there & am curious to read what others have to say.
thanks!
dave healey / asg