Red Lake Peak

We departed the trailhead shortly after sunrise and found a solid overnight refreeze, even under dense tree cover. On a steep east facing ascent, axe placements were reassuring due to the refreeze, but anywhere near exposed rocks, axes dropped right into wet snow with minimal downward pressure. By mid morning, our route had warmed enough that vertical picket placements became questionable, and when I trenched to place them horizontally, it was clear the refreeze only penetrated the top 4-6" of surface snow.

Once we reached the summit plateau, the east wind was surprisingly chilling, but the sun was stronger and won the battle - with surfaces softening to ankle deep boot penetration. Skiers in the area had only 1" of penetration, even at noon.

From the summit of Red Lake Peak, we had great views of surrounding avalanche terrain, and only saw a few recent wet loose avalanches that were not bigger than D1.5. Many cornices remained large and overhung.