Quick report
This morning, we went for a tour to Great Scott to get a look at the snow surfaces before the approaching storm. We were surprised to find 3-5" of soft, low-density snow on north and east aspects, as well as in sheltered, shady terrain. As we approached the ridge, surfaces were slightly wind-affected and generally a bit thinner due to wind scouring. That being said, nothing we observed warranted concern or any real avalanche risk. On our descent, we skied steep, rocky terrain in mid elevations, and noted some very small dry loose movement over the 3/25 crust.
Travel is a bit more difficult now with the lower snow coverage. We noticed quite a bit more buried obstacles (and hit a few while descending), along with larger creek holes, and thinner bridges.
No signs of instability observed.Weather
- Air Temp
- 30-40
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- light
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Overcast skies blanketed Snoqualmie Pass, allowing filtered sunshine in, but not enough to heat up substantially. Winds blew out of the east, but were generally unnoticeable until back at the parking lot. Temperatures were fairly consistent through the outing, hovering near or above freezing, with warmer temperatures felt on the exit.
Snowpack
Snow surfaces varied widely with aspect and elevation across the Alpental Valley. Near ridgelines, surfaces were generally thin to scoured of the recent low-density snow, leaving only the bullet firm surface of the 3/25 crust. Light wind affect could be seen in more exposed open slopes. The recent low-density snow is doing a good job of obscuring, but not burying, rocks, roots, and other objects near the surface. It was fairly easy to hit these objects while traveling.
South-West Aspects: A ski-supportable crust has formed on top of Sunday's snow, with little variation between the new crusty snow and the dense 3/25 crust below. Travel on these surfaces was fast, but difficult to skin at times.
North-East Aspects: Soft snow on top of the 3/25 crust still exists, ranging from 3-5" depending on where you look. In more protected, treed areas, the snow was best preserved. Regardless, the 3/25 is just beneath the surface and can be felt easily while skiing.