Incline Lake Peak

When we arrived at the trailhead, we found six to ten inches of cold snow resting on the old snow surfaces. This recent snow remained soft and unconsolidated in sheltered areas, but we could see large plumes of blowing snow along the Incline Lake Peak ridgeline. We found a small avalanche on a steep slope slightly exposed to the wind that looked like a skier or snowboarder had triggered it yesterday. While tests at this spot today did not show lingering signs of instability, ski cuts on a nearby test slope did cause the recent snow to sluff off the crust below. 

As we continued up the peak, the soft, consistent snow changed to variable wind-affected snow. We started encountering blowing snow and wind-carved features like raised tracks, sastrugi, and other firm, uneven surfaces in near treeline terrain. Many exposed NE aspects had already been scoured back to old firm crusts when we reached the ridge. The winds deposited this scoured snow onto the SW aspects. These new wind slabs formed faster than they could bond to the old snow surfaces below them. We triggered shooting cracks and a few collapses when we kicked on newly wind-loaded test slopes. 

Ski kicks produced shooting cracks and small collapses in newly wind-loaded areas.