01/22/09 Rattlesnake snowpack conditions

Snow pit on an East aspect at 7700' in the Rattlesnake mountains North of Missoula. Stability tests next to this site were showing a mostly stable condition with failures occuring only after a lot of force was applied to the isolated column of snow. A Rutschblock next to this pit did not fail after several hard jumps. This site shows the sun crust that developed this past week w/ faceted snow developing under the crust and the mature depth hoar at the ground that formed during the cold weather in mid-December. This is the layer that the snow failed on during the New Years Avalanche cycle. Snow depth at this site is 100cm. It's very difficult to initiate failure at the faceted layer near the ground but when enough weight or force is applied, it fails quickly, cleanly and to the ground. A definate improvement in overall conditions but still worth noting in shallow areas.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Avalanche
• Rattlesnake mountains
• snow stability