Storm totals from Thursday Feb 27 through March 1 are impressive.
Mammoth Pass: 33" snow, 3.7 inches water content
MMSP: 25" snow, 3.2" water content. Rock Creek: 23", 3.6" water.
June Mtn study plot: 33" with 3.8 inches of water.
Three to four inches of water is a heavy load- the most intense loading occurred Friday afternoon. 3-4 inches on the study plot does not come close to the amount of snow and wind loading that actually occurred above 10,000 ft.. Several days of sustained winds created multiple layers of wind slabs. The wind can transport snow to depths up to 10 times the amount recorded at study plots so it safer to be conservative and proceed cautiously in avalanche terrain today. The snow needs more time to adjust to the new load but there are always volunteer slope stability testers pushing the snowpack to stabilize faster. Remember that tracks on a slope do not mean the slope is stable. 