Public Observation

Observation Details

Observations

Like a truffle sniffing pig, I sought out facets in the north facing glades today. Scoping the lower slopes from the trailhead at 0730, I was tempted to go elsewhere when I viewed the bottom 700 ft, or so, of the moraine. It appeared a bit patchy and looked firm. It turned out to be both. I also found plenty of cohesion-less facets with sharks poking out.

Once I got above the shark infested waters (at about 8050 ft) the snow coverage was much better and the snow was more consistently soft and supportable, all the way up to about 10,000 ft.

I obviously observed extremely widespread near surface facets today, which provided very good skiing. I also noticed intermittent patches of surface hoar, mostly in drainages, low lying spots, and gullies, but also in some sheltered parts of the forest. Some of it was quite mature. Above 8050 ft in the trees, I didn't find a ton of wind board, but it was present intermittently.

The descent to about 8050 ft was a ton of fun in the soft snow. Below that, I opted to take the gully down in an attempt to avoid the shark infested waters. I'm not sure it was any better of an option.

I observed no meaningful signs of surface warming today, but that wasn't surprising given that I stuck to north facing aspects.

I'd like to say thank you to Josh for all the years of service here. I've always appreciated his ability to communicate in a relatable, accessible, and intelligent manner. Thank you.

Signs of Unstable Snow