Overcast skies became obscured mid-morning. Light snowfall started around 10 or 11am. Winds felt light until we crested out of the trees. In exposed terrain, moderate to strong SE winds were blowing snow, stripping slopes, and building fresh cornices.
No new avalanches were seen.
Wind Slab: Near treeline there were lots of visual clues of wind-transported snow and nearly forming wind slabs: blowing snow, sharp cornices, scoured slopes, textured surfaces, variable snow depths, drifts, and firm pillow-like slabs. A few small rollovers produced cracking in the wind-stiffened snow. When we peered into leeward startzones, we could see obviously loaded slopes below.
New snow: Snow depths increased with elevation. ~6 inches (15cm) at 3200ft became ~10in (25cm) at 4300ft, and 12-15in (30-40cm) at 5200ft. The new snow was bonded well to the Christmas Crust. While we could find a few inter-storm layers, they did not show any significant failures.
Wet Snow: At mid-elevations, wet snow was found below the Christmas Crust.
Other: Open creeks and running water were prevalent in most drainages.
Problem | Location | Distribution | Sensitivity | Size | Comments |
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Wind Slab |
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No direct observations of the Glide avalanche concerns.