Easton Reload to Cole Butte West via Cole Creek drainage

Straightforward snowshoe before the Friday/Saturday storm system. Took aggressive route up drainage and across complex terrain mostly following groomer and old snowmobile tracks, but breaking trail periodically. Snowpack was supportive in many sun exposed areas with some old windboarding NTL out in the open, but I found several pockets of weak/unsupportive zipper/sun crust over ~6”+ of either facets or sugar snow (I think the latter, but I didn’t stop to look). Snowshoe penetration was up to 4”. Found some small pockets of powder-like snowpack (surface hoar) in the shade, but the bulk majority of the conditions were crusty with variable depth snow. Corn snow was few and far between in the afternoon. Weather was partly cloudy, but became scattered clouds by end of day as storm system arrived near the Pass. Temps were in the 20s when I left sno-park and were a balmy 37 degrees when I returned.

Quick report