Incoming Storm and "Punchy" Surface Snow @ Yuba Pass

The variety of sheltered and wind-exposed areas of Lincoln Ridge allowed us to see if the layer of dense surface snow reported on Castle Peak yesterday was a wind effect or something more pervasive. It turned out to be more pervasive, and we encountered heavier snow on top of lighter snow at all elevations today in exposed and sheltered terrain. While these "punchy," upside-down conditions made travel trickier, we saw no signs of instability associated with this slightly upside-down layering. We saw settlement cones around trees, indicating several inches of consolidation in the storm snow.

When we moved into wind-affected areas, we found a mix of scoured surfaces and wind-sculpted snow. NE winds had blown snow away from slopes typically loaded by the SW winds leaving exposed rain crusts and sastrugi on the surface. The winds shifted back to the SW today and picked up during our tour. They started to refill those scoured areas with snow. Not enough wind-blown snow had accumulated to cause problems by the time we left, but wind slabs had begun to build.