Commonwealth Basin - Cocaine Couloir

I took what is likely my final trip up Commonwealth Basin this season to check on the south-facing slopes at the head of the valley. 

You can make it with a little patience and some care, but traveling on skis is getting increasingly difficult. Judging by the number of footprints I found out there, I'd assume hiking has become the primary mode of transportation in Commonwealth Basin until the snow flies next winter.

The couloir itself was sort of beat up - old avalanche debris, old bootpacks, and some recent rockfall and broken logs are all melting out. The skiing on the open slope to the right was smoother and more fun.

You can still make the journey almost entirely on snow, but the snow bridges are going fast, and it took a while to find suitable ones for crossing the creek. 

Red Mountain and the upper Commonwealth Basin near the Katwalk both lack significant snow coverage. However, the PCT wrapping around the West Flank of Kendall is definitely still snow-covered and is not yet recommended.

I saw a few chunks of snow and ice fall from a boulder as I was exiting. Not impactful, but a good reminder that there is still snow to come down this spring.

Very springlike, but not fully transitioned yet. I did not dig today.