Saddle Peak

No cracking or other signs of instability. There were strong gusts with some spindrift, but minimal loading. It seemed like most of the wind transport was grooming surfaces rather than creating much hazard. 

We dug a pit on a southeast aspect at 8750 and quick pits to look at the structure in the upper foot of the snowpack on east and northeast aspects at 8500 and 7900.' In our full pit, we found fist plus hard facets below 15 cm of recent snow (ECTN21 and PST 25/100 SF). This layer doesn't seem to be a problem at the moment, but it will become our primary layer of concern if it survives this week's above-freezing temperatures. Interestingly, we found the layer on most slopes we investigated. The new and wind-drifted snow seemed to be protecting it (to the detriment of future stability) from being chopped up by skiers and riders. This was the case even at the entrance of Going Home Chute, an area with hundreds of skiers passing through the specific pathway. 

Snow surfaces stayed dry today; this is unlikely to be the case tomorrow, when wet loose avalanches will rise to the position of principal concern.