Observation type - Snowpack
​Observer - Brad MacArthur
Keep me anonymous if published - no
Location (general area) - Snow Forrest (old ski run), Big Bear Lake, CA
Date (yyyymmdd) - 20160108
Time - aprox. 9:00 am
Temperature - mid to upper 20's
Sky - clear (no clouds)
Wind speed - Calm (smoke rises vertically)
Wind direction - not observed
Slope aspect - North
Slope angle - 28~30
Elevation - +/- 7400
Snow depth - 35"
Precipitation - None
Activity, recent avalanches - No
Whumphing noises, shooting cracks. collapsing - no
Rapid warming - no
Obvious avalanche path - yes
Terrain trap - no
Common - I dig a pit, but forgot my avy kit so I was not able to get all the information I would have liked.
Overall 3 feet of new snow fell in the past 2 days consisting of 2 storms. Most of it wet snow, socal cement.

Total depth was 35 in, small layer of hoar frost/facets found at 30 in (5in from surface). This layer had no crust and was undetectable unit CT test. It most likely formed during the break in storm number 2 at night which was several hours long or more. The day before I used a magnifier to see the hoar frost. No other layers were found in the new snow. At 9 in was a hard ice crust 1.5 in thick on top of 1.5 in of depth hoar, on top of ice to ground.

New snow was fist hard to 4 finger hard.
CT results were CT6 at 30 in layer, Q3 shear. CT 17 at ice crust, Q2 shear.
ECT 6, no propagation at 30 in later. No reaction to ice crust layer during ECT.
Also observed hoar frost which had formed on the surface of the new snow.
Publish this observation - Yes I would like this observation Published

Slopes

Pit