Or, simply put, a temperature gradient that would create a rounding process after a storm event on top of the surface hoar layer. (Of course, the new snow would have to have sufficient moisture to...

^^^A taste of said scrub oak destroying...
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ybW37vx0MgI/TSAvXLYa_NI/AAAAAAAABus/B7p5LxLgUJM/s720/DSC_0294.JPG

A taste of said wind effect......

I'd like to contribute a useless observation, myself:

sfotex looks core with a mustache.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs739.snc4/63970_1697206625743_1105187874_3626995_579318_n.jpg...

Skied north and south facing ~ 10k ft. Amazingly enough, no instabilities noted, but there is a pretty stout wind crust found about 1-2 feet down, depending on aspect. Ridges were significantly...

That would be a good guess, as an average. For ridgelines and wind-swept areas, maybe less. For leeward slopes and depressions, probably quite a bit more. I don't think any of us hit anything...

Upper BCC/PC ridgeline felt like the Arctic, this morning. North-facing trees ~9500’ skied stable and smooth, no signs of instabilities. South faces were a bit wind-affected, especially near...

Heard/felt four different collapses on south-west aspects around 9.5k’… pole-probing-skintrack-get-the-hell-outta-there observations seemed to be indicative of a not-so-supportable layer only a...