Mt Tom, Elderberry Canyon

Posted March 16th, 2010 by joshf

Location

United States
37° 21' 0.6048" N, 118° 39' 24.5052" W
Date and time of observation: 
March 16, 2010 - 11:30am
Region: 
Bishop Area
Observation Type: 
Snowpack
Route: 

Up Elderberry Canyon to top of moraine, up east facing gully to 12200', back down.

Red Flags: 
Rapid warming
Obvious avalanche path
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Wind Speed: 
Calm
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Cloud Cover: 
0.25
Precipitation: 
None
Accumulation rate: 
None
More detailed information about the weather: 

Very warm, mostly clear day with calm winds.

Snowpack & Snowpit Observations
Information about the snowpack/snowpit: 

Small shallow surface point releases on ESE to S aspects, especially near rock bands.  At higher elevations on east facing slopes only the top few centimeters of snow became moist by mid-day.  At 12200' we encountered an area with very shallow snowpack on this east facing slope ranging from 1.5-2.5 feet deep.  The bottom 2/3 of which was composed of very large (3mm plus) well devloped cup chaped striated facets.(see photos).  These facets showed no evidence of rounding at all.  Quick test pit dug.  CT13Q1 20cm below surface.  4finger plus slab ontop of 40cm of these large facets.  Very clean planar energetic shear.  This was the most heads-up snowpack structure I've seen in a while.  We skied down from here staying in the middle of a larger gully where the snow pack was deeper.     

Pit Profiles & Snowpack Photos: 
Comments: 

Heads-up snowpack at higher elevations in shallow areas.  Also we were weary of solar aspects destabilizing.
Snow conditions:  More north facing aspects holding powder snow up high, some wind variability.  Lower down northern aspects had firm crust with a few centimeters to 10cm of light snow ontop.  Easterly and South-esterly aspects were mash-potatoey.  Overall, very good skiing. 

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