10 Jan 98, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm, Snowy Range. Helped Todd Thibodeau lead a group of 9 skiers down Silver Run Creek. Skied from Green Rock to Snowy Mountain Lodge to S. Fork Sally Creek to Bear Lake to Silver Run Creek, then down Silver Run Creek to Libby Creek to Barber Lake Road.
SNOWPIT DATA Observer: Myron Allen Date and Time: 2:00 pm, 11 January 1998 Location: N. bank Nash Fork at Green Rock Elevation: 9800 feet Surface Roughness: Smooth Aspect: South facing, shady Incline: < 2 degrees Sky: Cloudy Precipitation: Light snow Wind: Moderate, W Surface snow: Wind slab Foot penetration: 32 cm =============================================================================== H (cm) R F D (mm) W Shovel Comment H (cm) T (C) =============================================================================== Air - 5 0 0 - 5 FIST Rounded < 0.5 dry new wind slab 5 2F Rounded < 0.5 dry old wind slab 10 - 5 16 ------------------------------------ Easy ---------------------------------- FIST Faceted 1 dry loose depth hoar 20 20 - 4 2F Faceted 1 dry depth hoar 24 3F Faceted 1 dry depth hoar 30 - 3 35 FIST Faceted > 1 dry depth hoar 40 - 2 45 --- ICE ---------------------------- Easy -- old surface ------------------- FIST > 1 dry depth hoar 50 - 1 62 Ground 62 0 =============================================================================== Remarks: Light snows fell over the past days. This week's snowpit exhibited an interesting variety of layers. Backcountry skiing the previous day confirmed the widespread existence of fairly cohesive slab on top of "bottomless" sugar snow. Informal testing from the ski track revealed that the slab often slides easily over the layers beneath. Many in the skiing party heard "whumpfing" settlement noises (on low-angle terrain).