Like Night And Day

We went to the Essex area looking for today’s avalanche problems, and to check on the snow surface before tomorrow’s forecasted weather. We found big differences between aspects and elevations.

• Snow line is at 5000 feet. At lower elevations there was 2-4 inches of new snow, and above 5000 feet, there was about 5 inches of new snow. 
• We didn’t see any natural avalanches today, but we did see point releases from rocky outcroppings and roller balls on southern aspects.
• We saw occasional and isolated blowing snow from 5800 feet up to ridgelines at 7000 feet. Over the highest ridgelines and peaks, moderate blowing snow was constant all day.

South-facing slopes: 

• The snow on southern slopes, at all elevations, was getting moist or wet. The sun was baking down the new snow to just a few inches. Under the new snow there is a thick, hard melt-freeze crust at all elevations. Under that there is about a foot of weak, cohesionless, wet melt forms. The snowpack is isothermal at middle elevations.
• We triggered 2 loose wet avalanches on steep, sunny slopes.

Northerly slopes:

• The new, dry, low-density snow was poorly bonded to a crust underneath. We used ski crampons to ascend some steeper slopes. Under the new snow there is a thick melt freeze crust that thins as you get higher. It goes up to 6800 feet. 
• Above about 6000 feet, the new snow had been drifted by the wind, but the drifts were very soft and we hardly got any cracking. The deepest drifts were about 8 inches thick up to 7000 feet.
• Northern aspects below 5700 feet, continue to transition to wet snow and we triggered many small roller balls in the late afternoon.
• When we dug into the snow on a northern aspect at 6600 feet, we found 5 inches of new snow over a melt freeze crust, which was capping a layer of small facets and graupel. We did not get concerning results when we tested the snowpack (ECTX). 
• We triggered small loose dry sluffs, and two small wind slab avalanches.