Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
Toured in the Bear Gap and Pickhandle areas via uphill access through the resort. Rain and slush in the parking lot (36 degrees according to the car) gave way to a few inches of fresh snow at 5500 and 8"+ higher up. Hand pits showed that the fresh snow was right side up on a distinct and somewhat aerated icy/crusty layer of varying strength with heavier, damp snow below that. Some localized slabbiness of varying depths up to a few inches occurred in expected locations (lee aspects at ridgetops), with some meaningful sloughs on steeper aspects toward the end of the day but no downhill skier actions penetrating the crush below the fresh. Evidence of some previous cornice fall was present on the N aspect of Pickhandle Ridge (large blocks carving a trough downhill and one frozen-in pinwheel) and on Superbowl (avoidable death cookies visible under a coat of fresh snow).