Quick report
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>None. Plenty of obstacles though. No wind slabs noted though perhaps the highest radical terrain harbored a few shallow drifts. </p>
At 10’200 north facing we found 55 cm of snow with a 2cm rain/mf crust in the middle. Below the crust sits 4F near- damp facets that didn’t seem particularly weak. The ground layer was 10cm of damp 1F snow. ———-Above the crust was a hodgepodge of settled snow, wind crusts, and a bit of graupel. This is the good news.
As one gains elevation, the crust becomes more friable and the facets beneath the crust become loose and unconsolidated. As if we might expect something else?
Profiles below are general composites to highlight the difference with elevation.
Snowpack
Soft and supportable skiing conditions. In very exposed alpine terrain, winds had scoured down to the old rain and melt freeze crusts. Off aspects hold very little snow with the only game in town being upper elevation almost true North and maybe Northeast aspects. Roughly 40-60cm of snow in this terrain.
So good to be out in the mountains. We weren’t alone in that sentiment as we saw hikers, sledders, ski-moers, and trick skiers riding the rails and pulling aerials off jumps. Same goes for the early sighting of the ermine who was still holding patches of grey/brown rather than all white...perhaps hesitant still to let go of autumn.