Observation: Hatcher Pass

Skied some stuff on N & S Aspects of Lonesome Peak. Weather: negative teens in the morning and mostly cloudy with no wind at 0945, staying in the negatives without wind most of the day, and getting to single digits and mostly sunny around 1530 when returned to parking lot. No signs of instability.

Dug a pit WNW aspect Lonesome Peak in a sheltered spot at 3,200 ft., 15 deg. slope angle. 1m deep snowpack. F hard mostly faceted surface snow for 10 – 15 cm, remainder of snowpack went from 4F to 1F. Right above ground was about 5cm of 4F basal facets. ECTX and deep tap test x. When forcefully breaking apart the snow we got an irregular fracture on the basal facets.

Ski conditions up high were variable to say the least. Within the scope of a single turn we’d run through a platter of breakable crust, dense punchy windslab, boilerplate, and loose faceted snow. Needs a refresh.

Saw a mostly filled in old D1 avalanche on a W aspect of Lonesome Peak on a ~35 degree slope that wasn’t there when I was last here a few weeks ago, I suspect it’s a windslab avalanche from the last wind event a couple weeks prior.