Smutwood Saddle

<p>Skied up the Commonwealth valley to the Smutwood saddle. Temp was -10 when we left the truck and rose to 0 by early afternoon. Travel was fast and easy on hard wind and sun affected snow. We dug a pit on the slope heading up to the saddle. The snow was exceptionally hard. Total depth to ground was ~185cm, ~140cm of that was very hard thick crust sitting on top of a sugar base. Column test failed on shoulder hit 14, on a weak layer ~60cm down. No signs of weakness in the snowpack as we travelled. As expected, the saddle was completely wind blown and the snow quality was brutal. Ski-Crampons and boot packing were required to get up. Got a few turns in on our way back down - rough skiing as expected but a beautiful day out nonetheless! </p>

Terrain Ridden

Alpine slopes, Mellow slopes, Open trees.

Terrain Avoided

Convex slopes, Steep slopes, Sunny slopes.

Snow Conditions

Hard, Wind affected.

Weather Conditions

Warm.