Weather
Mostly clear skies with a frustrating cloud bank hanging directly above the Ruby Range spine; this kept temperatures feeling cold. In the basin, the wind remained light, but blowing snow was visible across the highest ridgelines. Storm totals increased from about 8 inches at the trailhead to 15 inches near treeline in Baxter Basin. cloud cover: few; wind loading: moderate; recent snowfall (cm): 40; snow avail for transport: moderate amounts
Snowpack
The snowpack remains talkative on the north side of the compass, where the old snow surface is faceted and soft. The slab in wind-sheltered areas is very soft and limits propagation potential, and in some slopes below treeline, there is enough ground roughness holding slabs in place after they fail. Collapses and cracks traveled further in wind-affected areas where the slab is stiffer. As we moved higher into near treeline terrain, where winds from last week had stiffened the old snow surface, signs of instability decreased; however, there was plenty of avalanche activity in the area, which suggests that the weak layer is present on numerous slopes and survived previous winds. We frequently produced quiet collapses and shooting cracks where the new snow accumulated on a faceted, old snow surface. We largely traveled on northeasterly aspects.
Avalanche
A cycle of small storm slabs occurred late in the storm on NW to E terrain around Baxter Basin, mostly N/ATL. There were a couple of slides that appeared to involve older hard slabs (NE aspect), though they weren't notably larger than other avalanches in the area. There were a few avalanches on the S/SE side of Mineral Point, and a few below treeline on northeast aspects of Schuylkill Ridge.