Mammoth Rock obs

Strong winds were noted through out the day today in the mammoth rock area.  Blowing snow, surface deformation and thin wind skins were noted in sheltered areas as low as the trailhead. Significant Blowing snow was noted on the ridge early this morning.  Digging in at 8400’ on a NNE aspect we noted about 60 cm of new snow and a total depth of 130cm.  The slope we were investigating was actively being loaded and we found the 15cm of wind compacted snow to be reactive to compression tests. (CTE 3)  More concerning was a facet crust combo ~65cm from the surface. This layer was reactive to compression tests with moderate results CTM 17 SC as well as our ECT where we noted propagation across the column and Q2 results.  It will be interesting to see what happens with the new snow and continued strong winds forecasted for tonight.