Observation: Guardsman Pass area

We traveled around Guardsman pass today on N, NW, W, SW and S aspects from 8500 to 9500', observing a generally poor snowpack structure. Multiple large collapses were felt on all aspects that we traveled on, and while digging pits. NSF buried after the last storm seems to be fairly poorly preserved, but it is present in isolated locations. The main layer of concern is the basal facets around a meter below the snow surface. On S/Sw aspects there was a light zipper crust on the surface that seemed to have some melt-layer NSF formation below it.