6 Feb 00, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, Snowy Range.  Accompanied the Basic Mountaineering
Class (14 candidates, 5 instructors) on the field day.  Skied from
Green Rock parking area to Swastika Lake via the outlet creek, then
back to Green Rock at the end of the day. Dug a snowpit near the west
shore of Swastika Lake.

Time:     1230 7 Feb 00.
Location: West Shore of Swastika Lake.
Weather:  Moderate winds, about 25F, partly cloudy with occasional
          light precipitation.  Pit location was sheltered and sunny.
Aspect:   5 degrees, east-facing

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Depth (cm)    Hardness       Grain size   Shovel Shear     Comment
0---------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Fist           < 1 mm                        New powder
1--------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Pencil           1 mm                        Sunbaked crust
3-------------------------------------------Easy!-------------------------- 
              Fist             1 mm                        Loose crystals
36--------------------------------------------------------------------------
              2 Fingers        1 mm                        Old layer
48-------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Fist             1 mm                        Consolidated
59--------------------------------------------------------------------------
              1 Finger       < 1 mm                        Very hard slab
110-------------------------------------------------------------------------
              3 Fingers      > 1 mm                        Old depth hoar
140========== G R O U N D ==================================================

Interpretation:  The snowpack at this site appeared to be very stable.
In fact, a Rutschblock test did not yield any failure in the snow column,
even after several hard jumps.  Warm temperatures during the previous week
may have hastened equitemperature metamorphism and allowed for some
sintering of the snow crystals at depth.