Snowpack
Felt more like January out there today - cold, windy, and stormy... The only realization I had that it was April was the exceptionally stout melt freeze crust below the new snow and minimal accumulations in the lower elevations. All jokes aside, today was a stark contrast to spring. Height of new snow was hard to decipher given the steady winds - which were from the south/southwest however the winds also shifted several times from the east and north. The winds were transporting snow all day and on each subsequent lap I had to re-cut the up track. Approximately 30cm of new snow above 9K and from the valley to 8K was a trace growing to 12cm - read between the lines, slippery skinning and shallow snow down low. I found some 4F plus wind slabs 30-40cm in depth along the ridgelines and most importantly poor bonding between the new snow and interface. Last week's spring storm came in wetter and cooled as it snowed, however this one isn't quite as goldilocks so expect the snow to move in steep terrain given the stout crust it's sitting on.