Rapidly Documenting Spatial Variability with the Scope Probe

The Scope is the perfect tool for measuring and documenting spatial variability of the snowpack. By quickly measuring a snow hardness profile and automatically tagging location, many profiles can be taken in a single field day.

map of auto tagged locations of profiles taken during a single uptrack in about 45 min

Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT

On this quick afternoon tour, I measured over 20 snow profiles in about 45 min while skinning on my uptrack. Each one only took about 10-20 sec to extend the probe and push it into the snow. In this map view from the Scope app, you can see some of the profiles marked by location.

The two profiles above are a good representation of the differences seen due to aspect and elevation in this relatively small spatial area. Both show a generally weak snowpack with very soft fresh new snow on top of equally soft and weak facets, overlaying a layer of slightly harder melt forms on the ground. What is different is that the profile on the left was from a more solar aspect, and had a buried suncrust about 30cm down, while the profile on the right was from a shady aspect where no crusts developed.

Trying to document the spatial variability of this small area with traditional methods (snowpits, or even a RAM penetrometer) , would take a team all day, while with the Scope, it is a small addition to the uphill skin.