Today while ski touring in the Bow Summit area with a group of AST-2 students we conducted compression tests and extended column tests. The compression tests yielded no concerning results (broken on or around the Dec 15 down 25 cm, snowpack depth of 97 cm, S aspect about 2350 m elevation). The extended column tests were more concerning. We had propagation across the entire column with 10 and 15 taps (ECTP Easy-Moderate), down 25 cm (last two weeks of storm snow overlying Dec 15 facets) with sudden collapse characteristic. This was a small 35 degree, somewhat cross-loaded alpine feature that was not particularly exposed to the wind.

Here's a video link showing our second test: https://www.facebook.com/TomWo1fe/videos/10155040781505248/

While the snowpack seemed a bit upside down (stiffer 1F slab over softer 4F facets) it skied well and I didn't notice any reaction while skiing (no cracking or shearing) in lower angled, less wind affected slopes up to 32 degrees. I didn't get a chance to test steeper, convex or larger loaded slopes, but we steered away from one of our objectives after our ECT results.

Two days ago (Jan 4) skiing the slackcountry around Sunshine I noticed that the overlying snow from the last couple of storms seemed to be coalescing into a bit of a slab with the warm weather and sunshine, with whumfs and cracking (treeline elevations, S asp) and consequently I used more caution than I had thought I would that day as well.

The warm-up of the last few days seems to be settling out the storm snow that fell during the extreme cold last week and it's getting a bit touchy, here in the Rockies and from the sounds of things even more so further west. Hazard was still Moderate in the Alpine and Treeline on 93 North, but I would definitely use caution especially in larger windloaded zones now.

Regards,
Tom Wolfe
Mountain Guide ACMG/IFMGA
Guided Heli-accessed Ski Touring Lodges and Avalanche Skill (AST) Courses - www.sawback.com/current-trips/