Mt Judah

Like other areas, variable snow conditions existed throughout the Mt. Judah area. In exposed areas like open upper elevation slopes or areas along ridges, we mostly found different forms of wind-affected snow, ranging from firm and scoured to wind-packed and "chalky" to uneven sastrugi. The more sheltered slopes held a mix of sun-crusts, patches of softer still-cold snow, and larger areas of wet surface snow on sunny slopes. When we dug into the snow, we found a snowpack that continues to consolidate with good bonding between layers. The only signs of instability we saw were some minor blowing snow on one peak on the Sierra Crest and a few skier-triggered pinwheels on sunny south-facing slopes. Ski kicks on wind-loaded test slopes and ski cuts on steep sunny slopes did not produce any additional signs of instability. 

We observed numerous holes with creeks or open water at the bottom across a variety of elevations during our tour.