Mt. Judah

We went to Judah to look for new wind slabs. Meager new snow amounts and decreased winds led to fewer than expected signs of instability on our tour today. As we skinned up Mt. Judah, we checked areas where wind slabs typically form and found signs of wind transport. Small cornices had formed, and minor amounts of drifted snow had piled up in lee areas near the ridgelines. The wind-drifted snow remained shallow and extended only a short distance down the slope. We kicked on test slopes and dropped small pieces of cornice onto wind-loaded slopes but did not see significant wind slab failures. 

In more sheltered areas, ~2 inches of new snow rested on a rain crust with old near-surface facets below. Sometimes, we broke through the crust into the old snow as we skinned. In other areas, the crust supported us. We could feel the crust with each turn on the descents, but we did not break through it. 

We saw some minor cracking where areas of shallow wind-drifted snow existed.