Swan Range

Today we went into the Swan Range to get a feel for wind slab distribution and sensitivity. We also spent a little extra time on a west-facing aspect looking at weak snow around the 1/13 crust.

• Moderate to intense blowing snow above 6000'. 
• West aspects had a wind stiffened slab that was roughly 8 to 10 inches thick.
• Ski penetration on a west aspect near ridgeline was 12 inches. This tells us that there is still more snow available to transport into slabs on leeward aspects. 
• There were a few natural cornice failures that occurred within the past day. They appeared to have only produced small slabs. 
• No collapsing and only minor cracking around skis in wind drifted snow.
• Extended column tests and deep tap tests yielded no results on buried weak layers near the 1/13 crust. More info in snowpack tab. 

Despite the lack of feedback today, recent avalanches from yesterday were a clear sign for us to stick to terrain with slope angles less than 30 degrees.