14 December 1997, Snowy Range, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm: Skied all loops in the Little Laramie trailhead group. Temperature was above freezing with mild breezes. Most people we saw were harvesting Christmas trees. There were 64 vehicles at Green Rock trailhead.
SNOWPIT DATA Observer: Myron Allen Date and Time: 1:00 pm, 14 December 1997 Location: N. bank Nash Fork at Green Rock Elevation: 9800 feet Surface Roughness: Smooth Aspect: South facing, shady Incline: 3 degrees Sky: Clear Precipitation: None Wind: Light, W Surface snow: Loose powder Foot penetration: 23 cm ===================================================================================== H (cm) R F D (mm) W Shovel Comment H (cm) T (F) ===================================================================================== Air 28 0 0 25 FIST Faceted 1 Dry Loose TG snow 10 20 20 22 28 -------- Big, faceted xtals ------ Easy --- Old surface ----------------- 30 30 25 FIST Faceted > 2 Dry Depth hoar 40 28 41 K Ice 42 Ground 31 ===================================================================================== Remarks: Dug many snowpits the previous day. Rutschblock tests on S-facing slopes revealed significant potential for slab sliding on old depth hoar near the ground. On N-facing slopes the entire column was loose and sugary in texture. This was the weekend after cold weather associated with a storm that produced 6 - 9 inches near the Laramie Range but very little accumulation in the Snowy Range.