Weather
- Air Temp
- 32
- Cloud Cover
- obscured
- Wind Loading
- light
- Rain Elevation
- 6500 ft
- Recent Snowfall
- 3 cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Rain lines were higher than anticipated. We observed misty conditions until roughly 6500 ft. Precipitation changed over to heavy, wet snow above 6500 ft. Snow showers tapered by lunch time and some clearing allowed for a more enjoyable descent. This side of the mountain did not get as much new precipitation.
Snowpack
On Saturday, our travels took us to the Tilly Jane area in the rain-shadow of Mt Hood. We observed practically no snow until 5500 ft - a sad sight for late December. Above this, snow started becoming more continuous but remained wet and shallow until almost 7000 ft. At this elevation and higher, we found a more meaningful snowpack with 1 inch of new snow and some shallow drifts that ranged from 2-4 inches deep on a stout melt-freeze crust. This new dense snow made for creamy-like fun turns. Poor visibility limited additional terrain observations, unfortunately.