Chiwawa

This was a great day to get out on a trail ride for the Bavarian Boondocker's Snowmobile Club Ladies' Ride. A few of the mountain sleds struggled with overheating due to the lack of powder, but I was surprised that mine- and several others- maintained reasonable engine temperatures. Those with the oldest sleds, in particular the Phazer, faired the best. 

We saw overwhelming signs of formerly wet snow, now refrozen. Weak snow forms were developing on and under the snow surface. Despite the lack of powder, the snow, even in ungroomed areas, wasn't unpleasant for riding. Sleds weren't too limited by the crust, and sank a few inches into the snow. 

Snow depths were 50cm, or 20"at 2500ft, and the snow depth at trinity was 120cm, or about 4ft deep. All snow stayed frozen and cold, aside from steep, south-facing slopes that softened for a few hours midday. 

 Crusts existed on snow surfaces everywhere, locking all snow in place - although where we traveled, the frozen crust was only a couple of inches thick, and soft enough that boots easily punched through it, about 4" deep, similar to how much sleds sank in. We observed faceting beneath the crust, and surface hoar was present in varying amounts on the surface of the crust as well. Steep, south-facing slopes softened in the intense sunlight for a few hours midday. 

There was evidence of a previous large warm, wet cycle everywhere. At lower elevations, cut banks on the road had large, melted-out gaps in the snow, and many larger trees had bare patches beneath them. Viewing higher elevations,  slopes were coated with runnels, and there were crown lines indicating large slab avalanches. There were a few small point releases, and some visible glide cracks as well.