Quick report
Two of us headed up to the Slot, and we ended up arriving at the entrance to the couloir at about the same time as two other groups of two. Snow on the ascent was expectedly thin. Our cliff bypass at the bottom involved a 10' stretch of dirt. The crust was very supportive; crampons were appreciated, as we essentially booted the entire approach. New snow in the trees down low was only an inch or so; up high in open areas, it was closer to the reported 6"-8" from the past few days. Some south-facing aspects were staying fluffy and dry, but it was inconsistent and extremely slope-angle dependent (steeper S-facing slopes could be crusty, flatter S-facing slopes could be dry powder). We were facing first tracks in the couloir, so I rappelled in to test the snow and see if I could get any slabs to slide over the crust. Some slight wind texturing up high, but only dry loose slough was going, as the snow near the entrance didn't seem to have formed a cohesive slab. We committed to the run, and found the snow to be more variable half way down. Though still quite enjoyable from a ski perspective, there was the occasional stiff or crusty section. I observed a slight updraft of wind deep in the couloir that could have been contributing to this stiffer snow. The bottom of the run was a touch sharky, and the Thunder Creek Basin in the alpine where the Snot, Slot, and Circus couloirs empty into had many large boulders and talus rising out of the snow. I saw at least one dry loose slide on a steep NE aspect in this basin. To return to the car, after the normal Thunder Creek Basin exit notch, we hung skiers right, following the beta from one of the parties of two ahead of us, who navigated the maze of cliffs and one brief 200' skin up, then ski down onto the Snow Lake trail at about 3,540'. In the current snow pack, this would be my preferred descent over Phantom Trees.