Large avalanche in the Swan

A thick cloud deck briefly broke in the afternoon, allowing us a glimpse of the surrounding terrain. The sun appeared for a brief period, which resulted in a sun crust on steep southerlies. The 2/22 rain crust disappeared somewhere below 5000'. The snow quality was outstanding, except on steep southerlies in the late afternoon. A snowpit at 5800' on a south aspect: HS=200cm with the 1/13 crust down 1meter. The crust was 6 cm thick and decomposing. The layer of concern was a thin layer of faceted snow 12 cm above the crust that failed with extra hard force ECTP 35. This layer was obvious in the pit wall. Snowpit at 6300' on a south aspect: HS=200cm with the 1/13 crust down 1 meter. The crust was 13 cm thick and still stout. A layer of facets resting on the crust sheared cleanly but did not propagate in ECT tests.