Pack Statistics

Snowpack Depth: 220.0cm
Snowpack Weight: 1045kg/sq.m

Pack Analysis

Pack is completely isothermic, and very wet / heavy. Snowpack is not homogeneous, having 20 distinct layers identified over the 2.2m depth to ground (rock). Rain water has penetrated pack to depth and destroyed the sintered bonds throughout the pack. The pack in this test location is only 50% of normal depth for winter at this time. Pack would be stable in uniform surface areas, but prone to wet slab failure near edges or pronounced rolls. There is evidence of windslab (50cm) on S aspects (1700m+).

Column Shear Test :
5 shears identified in pit column. The 36cm & 100cm shears wewre expected from xtal analysis. The further 3 easy shears below were not expected, but xtal interface obs revealed very poor inter-layer bonds at these points.

Extended Column Shear Test :
Not performed.

Foot Pressure Tests :
1st test - 30cm surface slab released with moderate foot pressure about 0.5m back from pit edge. 2nd test - 40cm surface slab released with moderate pressure about 0.5m from pit edge. 3rd test - 100cm surface slab released with strong pressure exerted on pack about 0.5m from pit edge.

Rutschblock Test :
Not performed, no skis.

Activity Assessment :
Rising freezing levels, and intense solar radiation is likely to drive a cycle of wet snow events out of steep terrain features, there is potential for these to amplify should they pass through more uniform terrain creating very wet/heavy run-outs. A 50cm slab feature is visible on southern aspects 1700m+, this is likely to persist! Lower altitude snowpack is crusting up with M/F cycles, but remains extremely wet.

Current Assessment

High Alpine (2000m+): Moderate
Alpine (1000m - 2000m): Moderate
Sub-Alpine (Below 1000m): Low