Quick report
Good stability, likely decreasing on steep sunny slopes in the afternoon.
Weather
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- none
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Clear, calm, warm day. Didn't observe any wind transport. Maybe a few plumes on distant peaks, but tough to say.
Snowpack
Snow cover is minimal below 3,000ft, with areas of bare ground and open creeks. Above 4,000ft, found recent dry snow over the 1/31 crust. Snow depths increased exponentially with elevation. At 6,250ft on the ridge between Whiteface and Gate creeks, found 5-8cm of recent, dry snow over the 1/31 crust. The crust was supportive to boots. Rime and recent snow caked the trees on the ridge.
On SE-SW aspects, the sun was warming surfaces and even melting the old 1/31 crust below 4,500ft. We didn't observe wet snow instability, but I could imagine it was happening in other terrain with more available soft surface snow.
Avalanche
- Size
- D2.5
- Aspect
- SW
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 7400 ft
We didn't observe wet loose avalanches in the terrain we traveled, but I imagine these occured on steep slopes with enough available snow. One older avalanche was reported by another party on the north side of McLeod Mtn. A larger, D2.5, wet slab from the late January rain event.