Snow profiles are carried out in the snowpack to provide avalanche forecasters and technicians
information of the snow stratigraphy relative to avalanche formation and propagation. Snow
hardness, which is a measure of the snow’s resistance to penetration by an object is a standard
characteristic measured in a snow profile. The current International and Canadian standard
technique for measuring snow hardness is the hand hardness test, which is a subjective test that
can be compromised by human biases. The blade hardness gauge is a technology designed to
quantitatively measure the hardness of snow in newtons of force.
During the 2020-21 and 2021-22 winter seasons, research was carried out in the mountains of
British Columbia and Alberta to test the reliability and integrity of the blade hardness gauge in
relation to measuring snow hardness. The research set out to determine standard techniques to use
the gauge with respect to insertion rate of the gauge, the replication of the gauge and the orientation
of the gauge to the snowpack. Blade hardness measurements were compared to snow density
measurements, hand hardness measurements and extended column test results.
The blade hardness gauge proves to be a reliable and consistent tool for measuring snow
hardness. The gauge should be inserted into the snow with an insertion rate of approximately 10
cm/s and oriented parallel to the snowpack to gain consistency amongst users. The gauge is more
consistent amongst users for measuring snow hardness compared to the use of the hand hardness
test. A chart was made to convert blade hardness to hand hardness to utilize the gauge as a teaching
tool for the hand hardness test. The blade hardness measurements can be utilized to estimate snow
density using linear and non-linear regressions. With the consistency and reliability of the blade
hardness gauge it has potential for use as a teaching tool for the hand hardness test and for
measuring snow hardness over time.
