Mint Valley/Lonesome Mine

Quick report

Skied from Mint TH down about 2 miles, crossed the Little Su then went up to 3k ft. on a NW facing slope around Lonesome Mine. Below treeline on the first mile of the mint trail HS was around 40 - 60cm, temps around freezing, no wind. The top layer of snowpack was consolidated snow, a little heavy. No real layers to discern as shallow and vegetated. Near treeline from the next mile of mint trail up to about 2700 ft: HS around 50 - 70cm. there were signs of wind affect with small but frequent patches of breakable wind crust or windslabs up to a few inches thick. Where their snow wasn't wind affected it was dense heavy pow. The snow structure was noticeably poor with about 25 - 30cm. of denser consolidated snow atop weaker snow, which we could tell from pole probes or even skinning as our skis would dive-bomb. Above treeline from 2700ft. up to 3,000 ft. HS 70cm - 100cm where we stopped there was further signs of wind affect with more of the snow having a windcrust. Windslabs were a little thicker, getting to about 8 inches thick at the most. All were unreactive, could not get shooting cracks or any of them to move. Dug a pit at 3k ft. on NW slope 27-degree slope angle. Snow structure was (top to bottom) 1F windslab // 4F snow // 1F snow // P ice crust with facets above and below it // 4F snow // P ice crust // 4F snow // 1F snow // 4F rounding facets look like above the ground. ECTN8 on windslab, ECTP15 28cm down on faceted ice crust. Shovel shear test afterwards separated the windslab and the top 28cm of snow easily. Temperatures felt around freezing below treeline, slightly below freezing near treeline, and mid to high 20s with light wind above treeline. No flagging on any ridge tops we saw, but definitely saw some wind scouring likely from thawing overnight. On the way back unfortunately saw 2 snowmachiners in the mint valley about 1/2mile from the trailhead, 250 vertical feet above the trail.