Quick report
We observed no instabilities today.
Weather
When we arrived at the trailhead, temperatures were above freezing, the clouds were broken and winds were light with the occasional strong gust. As the day progressed temperatures dropped closer to freezing and winds increased to Moderate with gusts strong enough to knock you over. At 2:30pm there was one snow squall followed by a break of sun before the skies became fully overcast for the rest of the afternoon.
Snowpack
We spent most of our time on North aspects between 8000ft to 8300ft. Snow conditions were firm and variable: with breakable crusts on open faces and supportable and edgeable in treed areas on a similar aspect. We dug a snowpit to see if we could observe the remnants of the December 19 and Jan 2 PWL. While we could see the layers, they have gained strength and showed no sign of instability. The grains at the base of the snowpack were wet and mostly rounded or rounding.