Observation: NWAC Forecaster

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Weather Summary

Today was a beautiful calm and clear day to be out. Temperatures remained in the mid 20's with light west winds present above treeline.

Snowpack Observations

Today I took advantage of the clear weather to tour up Timberline on the south side of the mountain. My objective was to see how sensitive the wind slabs are and to get eyes on upper elevations after the recent storm.

One of the first things I noticed when I arrived at the trailhead, was the sparkly surface hoar that formed during the cold and clear night we had on New Years. In more sheltered areas near the trailhead I observed 10 cm ( 4 inches) of new snow that fell yesterday on 12/31. Once above treeline, I found an inconsistent distribution of this new snow, with icy surfaces present in wind exposed areas, soft sastrugi, and firm pockets of wind drifted snow (1F hard). On test slopes I generally found the wind drifted snow to be on the stubborn side and received one isolated shooting crack. I did observe some transport on the upper mountain (above 9000 ft), but overall winds remained light. I found the best skiing and riding conditions in more sheltered areas below 7500 ft. On my drive out at 11 am, I observed rollerballs and small wet loose slides on south facing road cuts below treeline.