Quick report
Well-settled surface snow and no evidence of a wind slab problem today at Wing Ridge. Riding conditions ranged from very good to challenging based on elevation and aspect, with moist snow refreezing into a breakable crust by 15:00 below ~7500'. Soft snow above 8000' on northern aspects sheltered from the wind. No surface instabilities were observed throughout our tour. It remains incredibly unlikely to trigger, but it is important to remember the old, weak snow sitting on the ground in high north facing terrain. While it does not currently warrant an avalanche problem, this poor structure is worth tracking over time.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 32-40
- Cloud Cover
- scattered
- Wind Loading
- none
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Partly cloudy with light terrain driven winds near treeline and below. Light west winds at ridgeline. No precipitation throughout the day. Almost exclusivley above freezing temperatures on all aspects and all elevations travelled.
Snowpack
The snow surface was moist up to approximately 7800' on a north east aspect. Surface snow above 7800' was soft and dry, with ski penetration ranging from 5-15cms. Evidence of previous (>24hrs) scouring and wind loading on SE-NE terrain, but no wind slabs observed. HS variable from 130-200cm (4-6 feet) and well settled above the 12/18 crust. No evidence of the 12/26 crust at 8200' on a NE aspect.