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#SoFo obs today: Wow! The mid and upper elevation #snowpack is already where it was at late February last season, and the basal facet and depth hoar layer is seeming WAY more benign than the past couple seasons. It’s not as loose to begin with and is generally only a few inches thick and already with a lot of strong snow on top. We dug a pit on the approach to North Bowl above Hunter Pass on the flank of a repeat offender slide path: 3275’, N aspect, 35* slope, 125cm HS (all firmer than 1F except for bottom 5-10cm and fresh surface snow!), ECTP13 resistant planar down 30cm at a density change (and slightly faceted layer) between recent storm layers the past few days. While the fracture propagated, it was very resistant and seems like it’s already beginning to bond. No significant weak layers observed in this area other than that mentioned at the ground (which was not exhibiting reactivity even beyond test parameters). Winds increased this afternoon, kept increasing into the evening, and were actively loading slopes (especially in the upper elevations). Cornices were VERY sensitive, and when intentionally dropped began triggering thin wind slabs (formed from the previously unconsolidated 6”+ fresh #snow). It’s still an early season snowpack with some protruding ground hazards, and should be approached with caution due to potential instabilities both deep and shallow. If recreating around or in #avalanche terrain, please do your due diligence and investigate the snowpack thoroughly! Nonetheless, the #ChugachStatePark snowpack in the Eagle River valleys is off to a relatively great start.

A post shared by Anchorage Avalanche Center (@anchorage_avalanche_center) on Dec 9, 2018 at 6:53pm PST