No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place. – Zen saying
A small cell over the Never Summers has allowed for some light and varied accumulation. Winds have been whipping around and redistributing what has fallen. I skied up Seven Utes on Tuesday and found decent skiing. Though the area had been heavily tracked out over the weekend, enough new snow had fallen to partially cover the old tracks and allow for some pleasant skiing.
An un-named peak appears out of the clouds in the Silver Cr. Drainage.
Digging pits on N/NE aspects at tree line revealed the now familiar scene of 90+ cm of fresh precipitation and decomposing/fragmented particles on top a 60+cm bed of large facets and cup-shaped crystals. Compression tests revealed moderate results: CT-15/ECT-20, propagation appeared less reactive, and shears were Quality 2+ at the facets.
Decomposing/Fragmented Particles and Precipitation Particles form a slab over a bed of facets.
Reports on Powderbuzz indicate steeper lines are being skied without consequence, but be mindful that the current issue of depth-hoar is rooted in the base of the snowpack and the overall snow-depth on most slopes is still relatively shallow. The trend of light precipitation and moderate winds is forecasted to continue through the weekend. Be wary of fresh windslab on N/NE/E aspects above tree line.
And it never hurts to pray for more snow. 🙂
