Surface Hoar on Mt. Judah

Large feathery snow crystals (surface hoar) existed on all aspects and at all elevations. Ski kicks and turns could easily cause fast moving sluffs of surface hoar which remained inconsequential today. The speed at which the sluffs moved and the distance they traveled did highlight the potential for problems if this surface hoar layer gets buried. We also dug numerous hand pits on a variety of aspects and at a variety of elevations looking for buried surface hoar. We did find it on one N facing slope at around 7900 ft. in an open area in the trees (see snowpit). Observations and tests on this layer indicated that it was already collapsed.  The only other sign of instability we saw was that cornices above test slopes still broke easily with a ski kick. Despite the lack of signs of instability we still chose to stick to more mellow terrain due to the uncertainty surrounding whether or not some unstable storm slabs may still exist.

Photo 1: 10 - 15 mm surface hoar was widespread in the Mt. Judah area. IT did start to melt some on slopes with direct sun-exposure later in the day.

Photo 2: Cornice pieces and loose dry surface hoar sluffs on Wild Flower Ridge.

Photo 3:  Cloud cover rolling into the area in the afternoon.