Quick report
Today, Sam and I set out to survey the snow and trail conditions around the Ash Creek Butte area. Near and below treeline snow conditions are improving. We were pleased to find 15 -20 inches of supportable snow coverage on the roads at and below 6,500 feet. Snow coverage improved as we ascended higher into the east-facing bowls of Ash Creel Butte. However, plenty of buried obstacles are still present. Moving slowly and cautiously was paramount. The butte and surrounding terrain was obscured by clouds for the entirety of the outing. The snowmobile trails have not been groomed yet. Previous snowmobile tracks exist.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 33
- Cloud Cover
- obscured
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
A day of low visibility and high humidity was experienced. In sheltered areas, freezing fog was observed on trees and ourselves. Winds blew at moderate to strong speeds from the northwest. Freezing temperature were experienced for the majority of the day.
Snowpack
A right-side-up snow pack was observed on east and north aspects. The top 30 cm consisted mostly of recent storm snow. Below, is a bulletproof snowpack to the ground. The deepest snow amounts were found on northerly aspects. On a ridgeline, signs of wind effect were present, and a small crack was experienced in recently wind drifted snow. The top few centimeters of surface snow quickly became damp from the high moister content in the air. Large roller balls and gloppy skins were experienced because of this.