Quick report
Went chasing good melt-freeze skiing today, and found it in the SE gully on Dunderberg. It was already above freezing when I left the car at 8:30, but I encountered a supportable crust to both skis and boots all the way to the top. Above about 11.4k, there was recently wind deposited soft snow on top of this crust, and it was up to about 2” deep. However, there was no slab character at all, and the surface was quite soft. N winds were continuing to move snow into the upper reaches of this gully, and on the summit ridge line, these winds were sustained in the strong range, and pushing me around. On my descent just before 11, conditions were great with a a few centimeters of softened snow on a still supportable crust. Down low, and around rock bands, I trenched a little more, but nothing excessive. Overall, a very enjoyable descent. Looking across the valley, slopes on the north half of the compass showed tons of wind texture, and a couple old crowns as well. Temps were in the mid 40/s at 9700’ when I left the area around noon.