Hidden Peak

We went to Hidden Peak on the West Shore to look at the new storm snow conditions.  We arrived mid-morning to sunny skies, calm winds, and cold temperatures.  Around 6-8'' of new snow existed at the trailhead with over a foot of storm snow near and above 8000'.  We skied an East aspect in the mid-morning hours with early morning sun exposure and there was a faint sun crust that could be felt on the snow surface.  We moved on to NE aspects from there which held good snow quality throughout the rest of our day.  Along the summit ridge we found soft wind slabs that were 4F over F hard snow.  These were not reactive and did not crack or propagate when we ski kicked cornice chunks on top of them.  There are moderate amounts of snow available for wind transport if the forecasted winds on Wednesday occur.  Temperatures warmed throughout the day with continued full sun.  Tree drippings and tree bombs increased dramatically around midday through the afternoon.  The snow surface became wet and heavy and deteriorated on these mostly east aspects, but we did not encounter any roller balls or wet snow instabilities.