Weather
- Cloud Cover
- broken
- Wind Loading
- none
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- none
Moderate to strong gusts above 10,000’ today. Some blowing snow along ridge lines above 11,000’. Calm winds below.
Snowpack
Settled powder on shaded aspects. Weakening at the surface is most pronounced below the inversion (~8500’). Damp snow surfaces in the afternoon on solar aspects above the inversion. Snow surfaces are generally worked over by the wind above 10,000’. Old wind slabs appeared unreactive where I travelled. This could be a different story above 11,000' where there has been more wind.
Dug on an east facing slope at 8,500’ to check to the upper snowpack for concerning structure found at the recent fatality in the southern Salt Rivers. I did not find the surface hoar/crust combination that was the culprit and I was in a terrain feature that would harbor such a weakness.
No concerns in the top meter. ECTN 19 down 40cm on decomposing precip particles. No results on the Christmas Crust down 60cm.
Avalanche
Observed several blown in/old wind slabs in alpine terrain. No recent avalanche activity.