<style type="text/css">
.p_CC664AAA { margin: 0px 0px 12px 0px;text-align: left;text-indent: 0pt;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; } 
.s_3FE45715 { font-family: 'Arial';font-style: Normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 13.3333333333333px;color: #000000; } 
.s_B5813F7D { font-family: 'Arial';font-style: Normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 13.3333333333333px;color: #0000FF;text-decoration: underline; } 
</style><p class="p_CC664AAA"><span class="s_3FE45715">Recent observations suggest that the alpine is fairly wind hammered from the steady, moderate SE winds. </span><a id='GoToAdded' href="http://www.fsavalanche.org/Encyclopedia/hard_slab_avalanche.htm" target="_blank"><span class="s_B5813F7D">Hard slabs,</span></a><span class="s_3FE45715"> storm, and </span><a id='GoToAdded' href="http://www.fsavalanche.org/Encyclopedia/wind_slab.htm" target="_blank"><span class="s_B5813F7D">wind slab</span></a><span class="s_3FE45715"> instabilities exist at treeline and in the alpine.  Hard slabs are harder to trigger, but may have larger consequences due to wider propagations. Storm and wind slabs may be touchy to rider triggers; especially on leeward slopes and behind terrain features where pockets of wind slab easily build. A couple recent test results done in the upper storm snow show an easy (RP) shear down 20-25 cm and a hard (RP) down 80 cm. The mid-pack is gaining strength and is well settled.</span></p><p class="p_CC664AAA"><span class="s_3FE45715">Digging down deeper is the early November facet/crust layer. This crust sits near the base of the snowpack, and recent tests done in the Bear Pass area around 1100 m have shown this layer to be unreactive. Testing done in the Shames area on this interface have also shown no results, with moist snow below.</span></p><p class="p_CC664AAA"><span class="s_3FE45715">Total snowpack depth is probably around 150-180 cm at treeline, and deeper but more variable in the alpine. The snowpack at below treeline elevations is reported to be strong.</span></p>