Queen Basin

Above treeline, previous winds have redistributed the Cupid snow into thicker slabs on specific features, and eroded the slabs away on others.  Several of the windloaded features avalanched naturally last week. We could move comfortably through some steep terrain by traveling where winds had removed the slab, while avoiding where those eroded areas transitioned to a slab in steeper terrain.  ECTP30 pit results breaking on fist hard depth hoar near the ground (and not the Feb 8 facets, which are also weak but a little stronger now (4F) ) suggest stubborn triggering with high consequences.  

The cold start to the day helped moderate meltwater production.  Low elevations were mushy by late afternoon, whereas at 12,800', the snow surface retained enough cohesion to prevent wet loose on ski cuts.  

No signs of instability underfoot, ECTP30 result in a test. We crossed several thick to thin areas to see if we could produce a collapse without any results.