Low Angle, Low Stress

Lovely day off tour in the Middle Fork.

• The persistent weak layer where we traveled was near surface facets directly on top of the 1/13 crust. We found this layer on all aspects: under 4" of soft (F) snow on windward slopes, and under 8-12" of denser snow (4F) on previously wind loaded slopes. We got shooting cracks (between 4 and 30' long) and triggered some very small avalanches on the north side of a ridge at 6,300'. We got isolated collapses on the ridgeline, and only localized cracking around our skis and at kick-turns on south-facing slopes.
•  We saw 2 small loose wet avalanches that ran around noon on a very steep, southeast aspect. Elsewhere on south-facing slopes we found dry snow becoming wet with some rollers here and there. It seemed as though those aspects had already seen the sun earlier in the week and there was a sun crust under about 2" of newer snow that was getting wet for the first time today. We're guessing the mid-week sun crust was the reason we didn't see more natural loose wet activity.
• Before getting direct feed back from the persistent weak layer we dug two hasty pits and got an ECTN in the facets above the crust. The snow above the crust if this area was still soft, not wind drifted. We got ECTP9 and ECTPV in 1.5-2mm facets underneath the crust (north aspect, 6,200'). 
• A glide crack has opened up on a southeast aspect in upper Cascadilla. I've seen a crack on this slope in March and April, but not in January.
• It was above freezing, but seemed like it didn't get as warm as was forecast. There were nice periods of sun, and also periods of cloud. Light wind with no blowing snow where we were, though we saw snow banners on the tops of surrounding peaks for a period in the morning.

After getting those shooting cracks, and seeing the fresh loose wet avalanches, we opted to ski a northwest aspect with lower angled slopes that had been wind stripped, rather than loaded, and no wet snow. We skied 10" of nice soft snow on top of the crust with only minor cracking.