Green Butte

The new, dry snow of yesterday quickly became today's wet snow. Freezing rain from Bunny Flat to the top of Green Butte is thoroughly saturating the snow surface with thin rain crusts forming near and above treeline. With more snow in the forecast, this crust layer will be one to dig down to and inspect how it reacts to the fresh load. The rain has now locked up any of the new snow from the past 24 hours, rendering it unavailable for wind transport. I dug into several drifts near and above treeline and found the new snow so well bonded to the old snow interface that it was difficult to discern the difference between the two. Two of the main hazards faced today were low visibility and windchill. We still have a thin snowpack and with the low visibility, you may unknowingly collide with earthly objects. As we continue to experience powerful winds, it is pertinent to be aware of cold injury to yourself and your partners. 

Attached is a photo of a snow pit near the top of Green Butte where I experienced no results with instability tests. Additionally, I did not observe any wind slabs, shooting cracks, whoompfing or blowing snow.