OBJ Peak

We traveled on steep terrain on various aspects with no obvious avalanche problems or features of concern.  Crusts on southerlies softened enough to make for some nice spring-like turns, but maintained enough integrity to keep wet loose issues at bay.  Northerlies featured variable skiing on soft, faceted sastrugi and hard windboard.  All hard drifts we assessed were well-bonded.  

Looking ahead to the pattern change🤞❄️:  

• Northerlies are unusually shallow (from wind erosion) and weak (from faceting), and will be the most problematic, especially if we ever get our usual SW winds.  
• Southerlies are starting a transition to a spring pack unusually early, and the average slope should be able to tolerate more loading.  The highest southeast slopes held thinner crusts, and I also observed isolated radiation recrystallization above this thin crust - an interface which could cause persistent issues.  
• East aspects are variable; some concave, wind-loaded slopes have a deep, strong snowpack, while other slopes are shallow and faceted with a thin crust on top.  The latter will also be problematic. 

The snowpack is highly variable due to previous wind events and the recent warmup.  See photos and captions for details.