Quick report
Deadman wind station is back up and running. The strong westerly wind event mid December wrecked havoc on our wind stations.
Deadman has relatively shallow snow depths compared to the the nearby Salt River Range (See Prater observation). Average snow depths from 8,000'-10,000' ranged from 50-120cm (likey more on wind loaded slopes). The good news is that areas that had a shallow snowpack in December aren't necessarily as weak as typical season. Multiple widespread rain events reached upper elevation terrain in December and saturated the weak snow near the ground. This allowed weak basal facets to round and has created a right-side snowpack in many areas.
Strong NW has formed stiff and large sastrugi surfaces on windward slopes. A lot of firm, scoured surfaces exist looking towards Blind Bull where much of the recent snow has been blown away. Softer surfaces can be found on more sheltered terrain.
Snowpack
This visit highlights the importance of thorough snowpack assessment in areas that are more obscure and experience different weather patterns.