Quick report
Photo 1: Thin crust breaking above faceted snow.
Photo 2: Firm wind textured snow surface and variable snow depth in the avalanche track of the Woolly Hole. The Woolly Hole avalanched New Year' Eve- See observation here: https://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanche/64538
Photo 3: Thin coverage and sandbox snow conditions made for thicketeering and difficult travel at lower elevations.
Video: Quick handpit on a north-facing slope at roughly 8500' shows the entire top of the snowpack is weak and faceted.
Snowpack
Variable surfaces abound. Open and wind-exposed slopes have a surface crust that varied in thickness from 1 to 5-inches and sits above weak faceted snow. On slopes protected from the wind and sun, the snow surface doesn't have this crust and consists of loose faceted snow.