Ptarmigan

wardsbd , Monday 10th April, 2023 7:10PM

Yesterday freezing levels reached 2200m but precipitation was falling as snow or graupel and there was no solar input. Skiing was surprisingly good. Some pin wheeling. Yesterday evening winds picked up strong out of the South forming wind slabs on all open terrain. Extensive whumpfing on Bald Mountain and the west face of Ptarmigan kept us to tree skiing (which was good) . This morning the winds died down, and it cleared off for awhile. There were several avalanches on NW Alpine terrain(frequent producers) between 2450 and 2200m not propagating widely but running far in the storm snow. The snow picked again low density with light easterly winds which now buried the wind slabs. Freezing levels around 1950m today. Solar aspects between 2300m and 2100m have a few melt freeze crusts with facets underneath in the top 40cm that were producing whumpfs before the wind event. Not exactly Bugs to Rogers conditions but good treeskiing above 1950m.