CAIC

Details

Weather Description: Not a cloud in the sky visible for most of the Day February 1 and 2. Calm with a few Light gusts on Feb. 2 and cold mornings around -20C warming to near freezing by 14:00 both days.

Snowpack Description: The Grand Mesa currently has no persistent weak layers of much concern throughout the entire snowpack and has widespread surface hoar and numerous near-surface recrystallization processes occurring creating a weak snow surface. The mid-November persistent weak layer does still exist in the bottom 10-30cm of the snowpack but it is showing significant signs of rounding and between 1F and 4F hard. Snowpack tests in multiple areas including shallower portions of the snowpack where the height of snow is less than 150cm show mostly stable results. All extended column tests had no fractures occur and propagation saw tests on the mid-November dry spell layer had propagating failures after cutting through about 40-50% of the column (ECTX's and PST 63/130,74/150(End)). The average height of snow is 2 meters with about 100-130cm of P to K hard snow and densities between 350-400 kg/m^3 making up the middle portions of the snowpack. The bottom line is the snowpack is deep and strong. Depending on what happens before the next snowfall the current snow surface will most likely be the next weak layer of concern once it is buried and a slab develops on top of it.