Observation: Monument

During our travels today on Monument Ranch (private operating area) we went out to assess potential wind slabs and new snow instabilities. New snow from last night totaled 15cm with up to 30cm in areas blown in by the wind. Yesterday's sun created a noticeable crust on steep Southerly aspects beneath the new snow, especially on Souths exposed to the wind where ski pen was <5cm. All other aspects held excellent powder. Old wind slabs buried by the new snow seemed to have settled out in this area, we did not see any avalanche activity or red flags in our travels below 9,000'.

I stopped to dig a pit on a SE face at 8600' and found good stability. Although facets that had formed during the February dry spell were present, no solid slab was above them. Note, this area is a known "refrigerator" that holds cold snow and is a unique southerly slope.Was a good reminder of how spatially variable the snowpack can be.

New snow from last night totaled 6" in sheltered areas, with nearly a foot of new snow in areas blown in by last night's wind. Awesome riding conditions.