Pleasant in the Sun

We headed up Lucille today to check on the weather station and take a look at conditions before the new snow falls. The firm crust under 20cm of settled snow made for easy travel but so-so riding so we decided to cover ground. The skies were sunny and we saw no signs of any recent avalanche activity as we travelled in the zone. We tried sled cutting lingering wind slabs on smaller slopes around treeline but saw no signs of instability. Winds were light today, but we avoided riding previously wind-loaded ridgelines in alpine terrain. The snowpack around Lucille remains shallow and is now faceting around the crusts in the cool weather. Clear skies have also meant that surface hoar up to 4mm has started growing in many areas at treeline and in the alpine.