Southern GNP

Toured in Southern GNP on low angle slopes disconnected from steep, avalanche prone terrain and found stable powder snow. 

• Light snowfall all day with a few inches on the truck. Winds were calm and recent storm snow remained on tree limbs at our high point of ~6900. 
• There was evidence of some previous wind in this location (cornice growth, 2-day old thin wind slab (unreactive) at ridgeline), however, the storm finished wind-less.
  • This area felt like the anomaly; even below the low-density surface snow, there was very little evidence of the major wind event that just happened in the mountains. The recent snow generally lacked any slab characteristics, even in areas generally exposed to wind.
• Arduous, deep trail breaking on unsettled storm snow above 6000'.
• Snowpits ( E - 6400') revealed no obvious crusts or PWLs in the upper third of the snowpack, thus, uneventful ECT results.
• No signs of instability observed. 
• Skied low angle slopes <30* 

Ski penetration was about 14-16", down to a supportive warm-up layer (just denser snow, not really a crust) from Wednesday Night/Thursday Morning.

Dug one pit at ~6400' on an E aspect. 
HS 200 cm - ECTN 17 (down 55cm from surface - storm snow) on a slight density change (soft precip. particles) at a new/old interface from ~3/9. The JDL wasn't really a drought layer here; just a P/K crust down 85 cm, with no discernible weak snow above the crust. No signs of a problematic structure in this particular nook of Southern GNP.

Dug another quick hole on a southeast aspect at 5750' and found a generally right-side-up snowpack down to the  as well.  40-50 cm of recent snow, JDL (also just a crust) down 75.

Of particular note was the lack of any identifiable crust above the JDL in the upper snowpack, even down to 5700' on a southeast aspect.