Tempest Touring

Winter is here! Strong winds with extreme gusts and blowing snow all day, from valley bottom to ridgetop. Skinned from Needle Peak parking lot. Low-tide conditions remain even with recent snowfall and falling temperatures. Open creeks, alders, exposed rocks, and downed trees at all elevations. Arduous travel conditions, exercise extreme caution when riding especially where snowpack seems deeper. Only 110-120cm depth @1800 m, though highly variable due to alpine winds. ~15cm of low density, dry snow atop a hard crust below 1500m on N aspects. ~30cm of wind affected, low density snow on all aspects above 1500m. Storm snow became increasingly slab-like over the course of the day. Wind affect on all aspects above 1400m. No natural or skier-triggered avalanches observed during the day. We avoided steep, wind-loaded alpine terrain.