Observation: Chugach State Park

Rode a short “test” line on the NW aspect at 3500′ on False Peak. 6 inches new, dry snow on knife hard wind/rain crust combo, that ranged in thickness from 1 to 4 inches. This crust is sitting on top of a variety of snow ranging from dry, sugary snow to pencil hard windpacked snow. In places it was buried beneath 6in to 1 ft windpacked snow. New snow bonded surprisingly well, but we didn’t push our luck once we started punching through isolated, weak shallow spots in the windslab from previous storm (1/12?). A good portion of the Ballfield was scoured to rock before the storm 1/15 storm, and was completely covered the morning of 1/16. This storm came in with 10-20 mph E/NE winds and finished dead calm. Wind drifts were up to 2 feet deep on lee aspects. Poor riding conditions everywhere except where there was 1 foot+ of soft wind drifted snow.