Sunburst

Overall conditions are good for early November. We were able to ski from the trailhead with just a little bit of funny business getting through the low elevation areas with limited snow cover to access higher elevations. Above 2000' we found dry snow on the surface and surprisingly good snow quality. The big issue is widespread glide avalanches. Which ranges from small (D1) to very large (D3-ish). To manage this hazard we reccomend minimizing your time underneath glide cracks and being cautious about the potential to ski or ride into one on the descent.

With a significant storm coming Thursday and Friday, we expect natural and human-triggered avalanches about 1 to 1.5' deep to be likely at the interface with the old snow surface. Due to the combination of faceted snow and melt freeze crusts around the treeline elevation band, this storm snow might stay unstable for longer than normal. We recommend a cautious approach to the mountains due to the stormy weather and limited information about snowpack stability this early in the season.

Below 1500' there was low snow cover, which made travel through brushy terrain the biggest hazard. From 1500' to about 3000' there was 4-10" of dry snow on top of a firm melt freeze crust. The dry snow was faceted from cold temperatures and clear skies this week. The faceted snow on top of the crust could be a weak layer of concern as more snow falls on Thursday and Friday. In our pit at 3700' on a west aspect, we found no concerning weak layers in our stability tests (ECT N 13, CT 13 down 25 cm) and snowpack assessment. The snowpack is largely right side up, and for this early in the season, conditions are looking pretty good up high.