Public Field Report

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Observations

Skinned up Democrat Gulch for 2.25 miles, then crossed a little stream and gained a ridgeline that lead to the main ridge dividing Democrat from the drainage to the North. Just out to see what there was to see. Got to 6600', and found a styrofoam-y wind slab under 2-3" of fresh snow. Dug a few pits, and the snow averaged about 24"-36" - with 2-4" of that being the faceted layer at the ground. Stuck to slopes under 30* as I had my trusty dog pal with me, and on these low angle ridge lines, the skiing was quite nice. The wind hadn't created a crust so much as it seems like the snow was pretty settled into a supportable/dense base. Was out and about for about 6.5 miles and didn't hit a single rock.