Clearing on Skook

We had two primary questions with snowpack: 1. How reactive are recent storm slabs and 2. How are the facets and crusts deep in the snowpack adjusting to the load of recent storms? To get a clue, we did a number of travel tests and then dug on a SW aspect at around 6400ft, 30 degree slope, total snow depth 155-170cm. The most recent new snow interface failed under moderate force (CT11 Q3 30cm down), and propagated in one test but not a second (ECTN 20cm down and ECTP13 Q3 30cm down). The slab (100cm thick in our pit) atop the persistent facet layers down deep continues to gain strength (generally 4F to 1F), but recent snow and the facets beneath that slab are both softer (F to F+). Said slab failed with moderate force in our column test (CT16 100cm down Q3), and failed to propagate in both our ECTs (ECTX).