Lower Green Butte Ridge and Avalanche Gulch

Eric and I got out on Green Butte Ridge this morning at the onset of the storm. The snowfall was heavy and SSE wind was fierce. We found northwesterly aspects already loaded with over a foot of snow near treeline. The new and wind transported snow is accumulating on a breakable crust below 7,500 feet, and on a supportable crust above this elevation. In areas where we found wind-drifted snow, it was weakly bonded to the crust beneath. Additional loading throughout the storm on this weak interface is likely to trigger natural and human caused avalanches. 

Minor cracking under the weight of skier in leeward wind-drifted snow cracking less than 5 feet.