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Hoping this finds Everyone keeping well and having a good start to the new year.
Just a quick report of some direct low-elevation (below tree-line) observations, while travelling at the mouth of Cayoosh Creek today, in the Duffey Lake area:
Went to have a look at the state of the recently-buried January 4th 'Surface-Hoar' layer. Moved through a low-angle gladed cutblock just to stretch the legs a little, but didn't do any skiing. This layer of fragile crystals is buried approximately 35cm from the surface and the snow above it has already begun to settle into a soft-slab at the 4000'-4500' (1220-1372m) elevation. The surface-hoar was approximately 20mm in size, feathery, well preserved, and sensitive. It was easy to cut small features, or remotely-trigger them, and watch the cracks shoot off or hear the numerous 'whumpf' sounds of the surface-hoar collapsing underneath.
Small, no-consequence gully-features were especially sensitive. The current depth of the layer and the softer snow above makes it much easier to skier-trigger, and the forecasted cool temperatures over the next few days will keep this layer from wanting to 'settle-out'. Feels like the January 4th Surface-Hoar will linger, and be problematic for us, for a little while, yet. Please be cautious about, in particular, tree-line and below tree-line terrain for now. Layers like these can propagate fractures widely, inducing whole slopes to failure, and can even release on relatively low-angle terrain.
Times like these may necessitate re-evaluating the usual type of terrain that we like to ski, in these Ranges, until the trend and good, additional information helps change things more favorably.
Safe travels and best regards,
Dale Marcoux
ACMG Ski Guide
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