White Pass backcountry

A mildly stormy day allowed for quick and efficient travel. A strong supportable crust above 5800ft kept our attention focussed on the 4inches of new snow, while  still avoiding big terrain due to the Deep Presistent Slab. As the new crust gets stronger, it will reduce any concerns about the old deep weak layers. 

No major signs of instability.

White Pas received about 4 inches of snow Thursday and Friday. You could see the affects of fluctuating temperatures in these top few inches. This snow sits over the 3/21 interface. This is the top of the growing crust from the past week's tropical weather. The new crust was very supportable, especially above 5800ft. While thinner in shaded terrain, it was still nearly 10 inches deep and growing.  On sunny aspects, it was much thicker. 

Wind: A few isolated wind pillows were observed in some odd areas due to the S -SE winds. These tiny slabs were only a few inches thick and smaller than a dining room table. Similar to the mini wet loose slides, they didn't pose much of a hazard. 

Wet Loose: I was able to trigger piles of small rollerballs and a few tiny wet loose slides on very steep slopes. They only involved the new snow and ran in the 3/21 crust. With warming temperatures these slides were becoming more likely as I left the field. 

Deep Persistent: A snow profile on a NE aspect at 6400ft did not produce any notable results on the EFC or other facet layers. In fact, I couldn't even pry off the overlying columns. The middle snowpack was still very dry, but it was strong, consisting of small rounded grains.