07 Mar 04, 09:30 - 16:30, Snowy Range.  Skied from Green Rock parking
area to Brooklyn Lake via Potholes Route, then to East Glacier Lake via
Lost Lake Trail.  Returned via the same route.  Broke trail through
wind-packed powder the whole way.  There was relatively new blue
flagging on the Potholes Route.  Also, there was a large tree down
across the trail about 1/4 mile uphill from where it enters the timber
at about 10,080'.  There was no radio contact with Centennial Visitors
Center all day.  Dug a hasty pit at the eastern terminus of the Lost
Lake Trail:

Location:  NAD27 13T 395760E 4580850N
Aspect:  South-facing, 5 degrees
Weather:  Sunny, high 20s (F), moderate wind

0   cm   ---------- snow surface --------------------------
         windpacked powder, fist
42  cm   ---------- top of ice layer, easy shovel shear ---
43  cm   ---------- bottom of ice layer -------------------
         consolidated snow, 4 fingers
80  cm   ---------- top of depth hoar, some shovel shear --
         partially sintered depth hoar, fist
140 cm   ---------- ground --------------------------------

Comments:  The 60-cm depth-hoar layer showed signs of sintering and
consolidation, even though the grains were still over 1 mm in diameter.
In this respect, the weakness often associated with depth hoar appears
to be less of a factor in snowpack instability than it was earlier in
the season.  The greatest source of instability, both in this pit and on
skis, appeared to be the potential for the new windpacked powder layer
to slide as a coherent slab on the old ice layer.