Snowpack
24-36 inch total snow depth above 9000 feet. Progressively less below that. Despite mild temps since the last snowfall, I observed that small to medium sized facets have formed on the snow surface and just below the surface on many slopes. I don't believe that they are well developed enough to create a persistent weak layer in the future, but it could make for a poor initial bond if and when we get significant new snow.
Below the top few inches of facets and newish crystals is uniform 1F to P hardness consolidated snow down to almost the ground (so about 18-30 inches). In general, in the small area I observed, this old snow is supportable and provides quite a good base for skinning and skiing. At the ground, the snow is somewhat weak and faceted, but definitely not the stuff of nightmares. It could become a weak layer with a massive dump, but with moderate amounts of new snow, I think the new/old snow interface will be the critical weak layer.
This was the first time I've bothered venturing out beyond the confines of man-made snow, and I was pleasantly surprised. Non-sheltered areas appeared to have less snow and not really be skiable yet, but in favored sun and wind sheltered (or loaded...) areas, the skiing was better than I expected. Avalanche hazard was generally low.