Surprise Surprise

Skied surprise pass and one of the bonus couloirs above where the path opens up. Fast travel, mostly poor skiing, with the exception of the bonus couloir, which was alright. From Saddleback pass to surprise pass was mostly bulletproof from the effects of wind and temperature swings, with evidence of recent very high winds in the form of small amounts of sand and gravel distributed across the snow surface. The main run below surprise pass was heavily shralped. We traversed across below where it opened up and bootpacked back up one of the bonus couloirs to the skier's left. The line we skied held a mix of surfaces, with 10-20cm of surface facets in protected areas, 1 finger hardpack in more exposed areas, and pockets of old hooky windslab scattered around. Hand shears on the way up were either very stubborn or only had the top 1-2cm fail. In the lower, wide portion of the main path the skiing turned into hooky breakable old windslab with some pockets of supportive hardpack. Good way to spend the morning.