Observation: Powder Park

Travel today was in upper Mill D North Fork for some low-angle powder turns off of Sheep Shit Ridge. While breaking trail toward peak 9467, I noted a handful of audible collapses as I worked my way through the open slopes beneath the peak, with the largest collapse occurring about 100 vertical feet below the peak. Pole probing throughout the uptrack generally indicated a thick solar crust beneath the new snow, with a layer of faceted grains beneath the crust. This structure was less prominent as I approached the ridge, with the wind having removed much of the new storm snow, depositing it onto the north-face opposite where I skied.