Healy/Monarch

Beautiful bluebird day at Healy Pass bordering on Monarch Ramparts. We only skied east-facing slopes and mostly stuck to trees and a few chutes. Total snow depth was 80-100cm below treeline. Snow was fairly soft and uniform throughout and made for great skiing. It is still shallow enough to be concerned about rocks and other features below the surface. Above treeline the snow was much thinner and harder due to wind effect. In one wind-loaded chute (farthest left tracks in photo) there was a small (2cm?) wind skin which sluffed off. About 20cm below the surface was a larger wind slab about 30cm thick which lay on a softer layer. It seemed fairly stable-no cracking or whumpfing- and it did not move, but it made the skiing unpleasant.