05 Jan 03, 10:30 - 15:30, Snowy Range.  Skied the Potholes Route from
Green Rock Cutoff to Brooklyn Lake and back, joining Mike and Eliza Hotchkiss for the uphill
portion.  Snowpack is still shallow (< 2 feet in many places, nonexistent in some
windswept meadows).  Still, skiing was nice in a cold, skier-groomed track.

Dug a snowpit on the second esker on the Potholes Route and found the
following.

Location:  approximately SW 1/4 NE 1/4 Sec 13 T16N R79W.
Aspect:    SE
Slope:     15 degrees

0  cm   --------- Surface -----------------------------

        Powder; hardness = Fist

30 cm   --------- Easy shovel shear -------------------

        Faceted depth hoar; hardness = Fist

77 cm   --------- Ground ------------------------------

A Rutschblock test failed at the first step, with the powder layer sliding
off of the top of the depth-hoar layer.

Interpretation:  The presence of a thick depth-hoar layer under a such a shallow,
easy-sliding layer of coherent powder suggests using extreme caution on
slopes over 30 degrees in steepness.

At 10:30 there were 57 vehicles along the road and 2 vehicles in the
Green Rock parking lot.