Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
- Collapsing
- specific
The snowpack seemed to stabilize in the shelter of the gullies, as these spots aren't getting as much sun to melt the surface and the wind only blows snow in, so very little wind scouring. I was surprised to posthole to my waist in a couple spots on the way out. I followed the best snow up one of the gullies not quite to the top, being mindful to keep within the shadows and not linger/ be on a descent as the sun hit anything. The snow was consistent and really fun in the gullies, and and adventure getting into them due to all of the shrubs and rocks having enough coverage to skin up/ ride down. The bulk of the travel was challenging with isolated cracking when traversing over shrubs. It felt safe to keep to the sheltered areas, while being mindful of the snow loading (or lack thereof due to recent avalanche) on the rocks above. Temps were in the 20s, slight breeze, beautiful morning
Avalanche
Saw several smaller avalanches >9000 ft among the gullies between Aspendell and North Lake. Avalanches seemed to be between 24-48 hours old, probably right after the heavy wet storm, in areas where snow sloughed off the rocks.