20 Feb 05:  0645 - 1500, Snowy Range.  Helped with the NSP Level I
Avalanche course conducted by Frank Davis.  The field session was
centered at the outlet from lower Swastika Lake, about 100 yards south
of the Barber Lake Trail.  Activities included a rescue scenario,
transceiver searches, snowpit analyses, and probeline practice.  Bob
Howell recorded data from one pit.  A second pit, dug nearby on a
tree-shaded northern aspect about 20 degrees steep, revealed 

(1) a total depth of 105 cm.
(2) an easy shovel shear at about 15 cm, at the boundary between the
soft slab of recent slow and a thick, cohesive layer of faceted crystals
beneath and 
(3) a Rutschblock score of 5 (soft slab sliding on the cohesive layer
when I jumped once on the block).

Remark:  These results suggested reasonably stable conditions for skiing
in timbered areas at slopes below 30 degrees in steepness.  A depth-hoar
layer is still present, especially in the many areas where the snowpack
is still shallow.  As always, caution and terrain-specific analysis are
in order on slopes steeper than 30 degrees.