Hidden Gully Findings

Our group of four went to Bridger Bowl to evaluate the snowpack and get some decent turns. We dug a pit at the bottom of the pitch of hidden gully at 7460 ft and found a graupel layer sitting on an ice crust that was a layer of concern. Since the snow above it wasn't cohesive enough to form a slab we found Q3 fracture quality at ECTP 23. As we transitioned to ski after skinning further up towards hidden gully there was a much more reactive wind slab that formed near the surface. We were at 7990 ft on a ENE aspect and found 5 cm of fresh soft storm snow on top of a 13 cm wind slab that was 4F+ in firmness. The CT results were a Q1 fracture on 1 tap and this was alarming. Our group was ready to ski and for this reason an ECT test was not performed, but this alarming CT result made us rethink our original plan of skiing directly along a wind loaded gully where we found the weak wind slab layer to be. The quick pit that showed this wind slab was dug below a rock outcropping between hidden and northwest passage. We believed this was a concern specific to this terrain feature and that that reactive of a wind slab was unlikely to be found away from this outcropping. We felt that in sheltered and treed areas that aren't getting sluff and wind deposited snow dumped on them because of their terrain features we would be safer.