Cold (-5F or so) and clear with calm winds.
Observation: Portage / Placer
Location: Placer Valley
Rode into Placer Valley to assess as many conditions as possible. This area just opened to motorized access. Due to low snow cover, 3-4feet at valley bottom, no one was getting more than a few hundred feet above of the valley floor on snowmachines.
Weather
Snow surface
Around 4 feet of snow in the valley bottom. A rain crust exists about 2 inches below light snow, near the surface. Under this is a loose snow/crust combo to the ground.
Snowpack
From sea level to 100' the snowpack consisted of loose snow and crusts. We did not gain enough elevation to asses the snowpack in earnest. We did see evidence of many old storm snow avalanches from several days ago. All were shallow. We did not see any old avalanches that looked to break in deeper layers in the snowpack.
Looking up at the entrance drainage to Squirrel Flats
Close up of the Squirrel uptrack
Spencer lake and glacier
Spencer Bench on left of photo