Burstall Pass - better than expected, considering...

Went out with very low expectations and indeed saw much sign of wind scouring anywhere wind exposed and a below normal thin snowpack. Snow cover on main access trail is decent enough though. Uphill section in forest up to meadows is thin and a bit scrapped. Improved snow depth above 2100 m (relatively). ATL / 2300 m snow was very wind affected and slabby, so did not bother going to the pass. Surprisingly decent enough powder in sheltered trees in a narrow elevation band around 2200 m +/-. In addition to CT results, a ski cut on a short steep convex roll at ~2150m elevation did shear off the top ~25-30 cm consolidated snow layer down to the underlying supportive crust.

Weather Report

SW winds were strong in the morning but moderated around mid-day. Some low cloud with reduced visibility (~1 km) near the pass.