Weather
Today was notably warmer than the cold temperatures and winds that accompanied outdoor recreation on Tuesday. Overall, winds were calm, skies clear, and warmer temperatures had just begun impacting surface snow with a southerly tilt. We saw evidence of previous drifting on south and east-facing slopes near and above treeline.
Snowpack
The 6-8 inches of snow that fell in this area earlier in the week had settled to around 4 inches. The snow was cold and dry on all aspects, but during the tour, you could tell this was changing on sunny and low-elevation slopes. Periods of drifting were observed off high mountain peaks, and areas of drifted snow that built during the storm were over a foot deep but mostly unreactive. We did get some collapsing in stiff, flat areas, but this was isolated, and the areas of drifted snow were easily identified. Snowpits and snowpack tests highlighted a decrease in sensitivity with the Thanksgiving storm weak-layer near-treeline and the facets buried in the snowpack show signs of strengthening.
Avalanche
Avalanche from 11/26-11/27 natural cycle.