Quick report
We found more new snow than expected Friday, increasing from a trace at the North Fork Sauk trailhead to 6-8 inches on south aspects at 6,000 FT. As we approached ridge top near 6,100 FT, total snow over the early February crust jumped from 8 to ~15 inches. The top 8 inches of low density snow buried 7 inches of dense wind slab, which sat over a 3/4 inch layer of weaker grains capping the early February crust. Hand shears were hard but planar at this weaker interface over the crust.
Avalanche
In south facing avalanche paths near 5,100 FT, we noticed debris from several small to large (up to D 1.5 or 2) avalanches that had run since the warmup. Debris was soft, but buried by Thursday night’s low density snow.