Ridge Skiing in the Soup

<p>Rising temps over the last 4 days. -23C at 1500m on 17/01/20, climbing to 1C by the afternoon of the 19th. Little snowfall since the 17th and strong to extreme winds. Very few local avalanche observations since the 17th. We skied from 1500m to 2300m on predominately west facing aspects. Sunny when we started skiing, by afternoon dark clouds and light precip moved in. Temps above freezing at lowest elevations and around -3C in the alpine. Moderate to strong southwest wind above ~2000m. Moist snow/thin melt freeze crust observed up to 1800m, variable with current sun exposure. Hard, thin wind slab (3-5cm) observed 1900m and above. </p>

Terrain Ridden

Alpine slopes, Mellow slopes, Steep slopes, Open trees.

Terrain Avoided

Convex slopes.

Snow Conditions

Crusty, Wind affected, Powder.

Weather Conditions

Cold, Windy, Warm, Cloudy, Sunny.