Scarp Ridge to Peeler Peak.

The goal of the trip was to look at snow surfaces before the incoming storm.  Northerly slopes harbor fragile near-surface facets and surface hoar while sunny slopes formed crusts 2 - 6 inches thick during the recent dry spell.  We did not travel above 12,000 feet, so some uncertainty remains about surface crust thickness on sunny slopes above treeline.  The lack of wind and surface faceting in recent days has left northerly slopes skiing incredibly well but created a problematic new weak layer once a new slab forms.

No signs of instability underfoot as we traveled through a deeper snowpack on mostly northerly aspects and moved through sunny slopes before noon with surface crust still intact but we observed recent wet loose and slab avalanches on south and southwest aspects in the area.

Moving through sunny slopes near treeline, we found melt/freeze crust 2 to 6 inches thick.  These crusts will greatly reduce the chances of avalanches breaking deeper into the snowpack during the next storm.  Surface hoar was present on sunny terrain but was mostly burned off by the middle of the day (small chance that the highest elevation sunny slopes hold onto surface hoar).

On northerly slopes, surface hoar was present up to our high point at 12,000 feet and all the way to the valley floor.  Size was generally 5-7mm but grew in size close to the valley floor.  The top six inches of the snowpack are weak near surface facets.  The surface hoar and facets on shady slopes will not tolerate much load before creating a new avalanche problem in the upper snowpack when the next storm arrives.