Far Side

Today I observed new snow above 2500 feet with about an inch or less of new from overnight. No new avalanches were observed today. Temps were too cool and winds were light which kept snow surfaces cool. Small amounts of new snow barely covered up old tracks making it harder to see heavy use prior to this week. Cool temps and heavy fog made for challenging visibility today.  The sun popped out a couple times, enough to see old wet loose that happened before temps cooled down last week on East to West aspects. Only folks out there today were Nordic skiing and on the sledding hill. Although conditions are firm in most locations, a tiny dusting of new snow has definitely improved snow surfaces. I observed minor, shallow cracking near ridgeline as a result of strong winds gusting 50-60 mph on Wednesday. I did not observe any natural avalanches that may have occurred on Wednesday and/or Thursday as a result of the strong wind but visibilty was limited. Low clouds and cool temps felt mild, even a hair humid today or muggy on the ascent due to the high relative humidity. Descent was pleasant with tiny bit of soft snow on firm surfaces.

No new avalanches were observed today. I experenced minimal shallow cracking of the surface snow in a couple locaitons, approximately 3-5 ft long and 1" deep as a result of strong winds on Wednesday.