Lew Canyon, Hochderffer Hills, NW side of the peaks

Quick report

Drove out 180. Had plans to tour up to near treeline. Motivation had other plans for us. So we turned into the lower elevation Hochderffer Hills. Looked like a mix of new and old wind slabs and drifts on the N-NW slopes in Lew canyon. Rippled slopes and drifts are visible in the photo. I've heard some folks refer to Lew Canyon as Philomena Canyon. Many maps show Philomena Springs in Lew Canyon, but Philomena springs is actually in the next canyon to the south. The old sheep-herder piping from the spring was destroyed by an avalanche in early 2010. I was introduced to the Philomena Canyon as Little Sister, as in the little sister of Allison Clay Bowl. Hence the "a.k.a. Little Sister" text in the photo. Allison Clay is further south over the ridge. Protected north slopes of the Hochderffer Hills had some good powder. The 1-3" of powder skied better than anticipated. This powder is also faceting and it rests over a stout M/F crust which could act as a good sliding surface. There are a few >30 deg slopes in the Hochderffers, so this is something to think about as significant new snow is on the horizon.