Quick report
We enjoyed generally soggy conditions throughout the afternoon, with interesting creek crossings and icy sections of skin track on the way up to Common Bowl. Above treeline conditions were better than expected with fresh wet snow improving with elevation and light winds till ridgetop where they picked up. We dug one pit at 3100' with no concerning results and were treated with good skiing conditions to treeline. Sporty skiing back to the car below treeline kept things interesting.
Did not see any recent avalanches, though visibility was limited. Did not observe any cracking or collapsing during our afternoon.Weather
- Air Temp
- 36 at car
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Rain Elevation
- 2100'
- Recent Snowfall
- ~5cm above treeline
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Hot and soggy conditions all afternoon with rain line at 2100'. Light rain + mist to 2100' with wet snow starting to accumulate above. Calm to light winds till we reached the top of Common Bowl where winds picked up and were transporting snow.
Snowpack
Below 2100' where the snowpack was getting a fresh batch of rain, snow surfaces were wet and snowpack was thin. Above 2100' where fresh snow was falling, snow surfaces were moist and sticky yet improving with more elevation gain. We dug one pit on a south facing slope at 3100' below the ridge at the top of Common Bowl with a snowpack depth of 230 cm. Overall we did not find anything very concerning in our pit. Most of the snowpack consisted of dense, wind-packed rounds with a thin crust ~75cm down (likely from the warm storm cycle earlier in the month that brought rain to 3000'). Stability tests showed good stability in the snowpack; ECTN14 25cm down and ECTN24 35cm down, both on density changes. Pit profile below.
Higher up the new snow and ridgetop winds were working together to start building a fresh round of wind slabs.