A variety of conditions at Elk Mountain

Chose a tour of Elk Mountain to escape the inversion, observe current wind slab development and older wind slab reactivity.

• On sunny aspects at middle elevations the snowpack had a 1" thick sun crust on the surface. By the end of the day the solar input had left this surface moist and we were able to trigger small rollerballs on our descent.
• At upper elevations the constant moderate northwest winds kept the snow surface cool and dry despite a full day of solar input. Up to 8" of low density snow sat on the snow surface on top of a rain crust.
• Despite the constant winds, minimal wind transport occurred throughout the day. Apparently the fetch for these typical winds does not have sufficient snow remaining to be transported.
• I walked on "a bunch" of older wind slabs but observed only minor cracking underfoot and the very occasional short shooting cracks.
• The older wind slabs at upper elevations continue to be affected by winds and are trending from soft slab to hard slab. They are up to 18" in depth and resting on a rain crust.