General Observations

2/4- Benzene Alley up to 1600′, NW-N aspects, 30° F, light snow mixed with freezing rain, calm.

Collapsing: No    Shooting Cracks: No   Avalanches: No

Freezing rain had created a very thin crust (less than 1 cm) above 5 inches of dry new snow.  In a snowpit at 1200′, NW aspect, 20° slope, found a snowpack that was right side up below the crust down to 70 cms.  At 70 cms the 12/30 rain crust was present, 1cm thick and 1 finger hard.  Below this was a 5 cm layer of fist hard facets. HS 270cm.

Stability tests produced:  PST 15/100 (END) down 70 cm on 191230, ECTP21 SP down 70, ECTP25 down 70.  These results indicate that this layer is still very weak, but may take a large load to initiate.  Once initiated this layer shows the energy to create avalanches.

Video below shows PST test.