Shear Quality

What we call “shear quality” is possibly even more important than the results of compression or Rutschblock tests. Shear quality tells you how much elastic energy is stored in the snowpack. You also hear the terms “primed” or “stretched rubber band” or “sensitive” to describe the same thing that shear quality tells you. It’s difficult to describe what a high quality shear looks and feels like but you will know it when you see it. It pops out like it’s spring loaded and it does so on a clean, planar fracture. It gets your attention. Rate the shear as a quality 1, 2 or 3:

Shear Characteristics	Shear Rating
Breaks on a clean and smooth layer acting like it’s spring loaded has it breaks off the column If this happens the potential of a avalanche propagation at the layer this is found is at its greatest probability. The hard surface of the snow layer can help trigger propagate across the slope .	Q-1
Breaks on a smooth plane but more stubborn, not like it’s spring loaded If this happens the surface is hard enough to fracture, however, making propagation less likely to across the slope.	Q-2
Breaks on a rough, broken plane. Unlikelihood of propagation across the slope	Q-3

View Natural Shear Quality Test

View Extended Colum Test

Shear Shovel Test