Cowboy Hat

At one point this morning Luther Pass, Carson Pass, and Echo Summit were closed and my road wasn't plowed, so I stayed local for my observation today. I could feel crust and I think facets beneath the 3-4' of soft storm snow near my ~ 7000' high point. The winds were surprisingly strong and transporting quite a bit of snow although I didn't observe as much slab formation as I anticipated based on the winds I was observing. Temperatures were quite cold and the strong winds made it feel even colder. The storm snow is still quite uncohesive and I occasionally sunk unexpectedly in holes next to boulders or down trees. On several occasions I could see signficant amounts of graupel on my skis from the recent snow. After I ripped skins I attempted to split ski downhill but mostly had to pole to move in the soft deep snow and low angle terrain.