Quick report
Low-density snow was actively wind-loading down into the middle elevations. The 12-16" of recent snow and an underlying weak layer (crust + facet combination) may cause a potential problem on steep slopes, especially if the wind stiffened the snow surface.
Limited travel due to equipment issues, so this is essentially n/a.Weather
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Recent Snowfall
- 30-40 since Jan. 1st.
- Snow Avail For Transport
- large amounts
Moderate snowfall. Large flakes. We could hear the wind up high, even with helmets on. We observed drifting snow actively cross-loading middle elevation terrain.
Snowpack
We found 30-40 cm of F→4F snow since Jan 1. This sat atop a crust on all slopes we traveled (below 8,000'). We found small facets above the crust. We did not observe any cracking or collapsing, and large column tests did not propagate. Small column tests returned RP shears. We traveled in a limited amount of mostly wind-sheltered terrain.
Avalanche
Very limited visibility.