Lionhead observations 4/2/2023

We skied/snowboarded in the Lionhead range today and dug a pit on a southeast facing slope at 8900 feet. There was about 3" of fresh on top of a 3/4" thick crust. Then about 11 inches of 1-4 finger density snow, a hard 3/4" thick crust, a 1" layer of snow, and a third 1/2" thick crust. Below this was 30 " of one finger density snow to the bottom of our pit, (and 32" of snow below that).

We got ECTN4 at 6" below the surface along an unidentified thin layer, and ECTP11 that slid on top of the second ice crust (about 14" below the surface).

Riding conditions were better than the crusty layers might suggest. We stuck to the trees, less-than-30-degree slopes, and avoided slopes leading to terrain traps. We did not observe any avalanche activity.