The Continental Divide is a windy place (but not today). Winds redistributed snow during and after the most recent storm. The recent storm snow is more cohesive than in below treeline areas. Where new snow sits above thick and firm buried wind slabs (bullet proof wind slabs from our mid-November wind event), pit results include moderate and hard propagating failures on persistent weak grains below the wind slab.

Continental Divide, headwaters of the Rio Grande.

Travelled between 9,700 and 12,600 ft

Lots of natural activity observed while traveling up the gulch. I did not seem much natural activity right on the Continental Divide itself in the vicinity of Canby and Could be Mountains. Avalanches coded in a separate observation.

I travelled on northwest to north to northeast aspects above treeline. Higher elevations near the Divide are wind loaded and scoured. At ridge level, the recent snow has been blown back to ground and raised snowmobile tracks. Just below the ridge, recent snow has drifted into depressions and is covered by a thin breakable wind skim. In more sheltered areas I found about 20cm of storm snow from the November 26-27 storm.
I found propagating results during pit tests on northwest and northeast aspects. The failures occurred on weak persistent grains beneath a buried wind slab. Where this slab is thin, I did not receive propagating results.
I observed collapsing while walking in high alpine meadows where willows were present. While collapses are common near willows, this is a good indication of the presence of weak facets sitting beneath the recent snowfall

Clear and calm. Temperatures were warmer today than in days previous. Above 11, 500 feet temperatures remain cool.