Observation: Uintas

Christmas storm cycle has settled out to about 10 inches with a quick inch falling this morning. Sluffing through trees and isolated wind drifts over our weak basal facets on the ridgeline was the concern for me today. As seen in the pick below the snow was sensitive on steep slopes and potentially dangerous in treed terrain if you were to get caught up in a few tight trees while the slope is sluffing from your tracks above but very manageable out in the open. Another noteworthy observation is general faceting of the snow pack. Last week it seemed we could ride anywhere. That's not the case anymore. The thin snowpack is rotting and losing cohesion, that is faceting and noticeable as your track breaks through the hard layer on top augering into the junk down below or your ski pole pokes though the upper snowpack and falls to the ground.