FOR EMMA!

We didn't note any instabilities during the skin up, even in unsupported situations or when aggressively jumping on small scale but abrupt convexities. Looking for reasons to not farm the steeper open slopes (below tree line) we dug a pit at 1400m on a N-NW slope. There was 175cm snowpack. 60cm on top of a breakable crust. Snowpack was right side up throughout. Shovel shear tests didn't create any clean fractures. There was consolidation to the 60cm crust. ECT presented with no results, merely fluffed away. Shortly after, our skin track lead us into a less densely treed N-NE slope and there was a very stiff styrofoam wind crust breaking off in up to 6" chunks. It was difficult to sidehill in and would have been terrible / less safe skiing, so we contoured back to the western slope. The wind crust became more obvious as trees thinned / elevation increased, even getting the N-NW slope. Diminishing returns stopped us around 1650m. Descending N-NW slopes there was heavy sluffing but no signs of slabbing and provided some (really(REALLY)) good turns.

Weather Report

-18 at the start of our day, forecast was for highs around -12. It felt like there was a cold band around 1500m, warmer above and below.