Sunny and COLD. Minus single digits F all day.
Winds light from the West on the ridge.
Strong winds continue along the Arm at lower elevations kicking up dust.
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Seattle Ridge - Repeat Offender
Quick tour up Seattle Ridge to check on surface conditions on the Repeat Offender slide path just above and to the lookers left of the motorized up-track. This is in anticipation of 10-12″ of snow forecast from Sunday night through Monday night! Cross your fingers….
Weather
Snow surface
For surface conditions we found a combination of hard wind affected snow along with areas of soft faceted snow. Most concerning for the upcoming storm are the areas with 2-4" of loose facets sitting on a hard melt-freeze crust or stout old wind slab. Much of the bottom 2/3's of Repeat Offender is composed of this loose surface. The top 1/3 is 2-4" of hard wind slab/crust over facets. See photos for a better idea of both these surfaces.
Facets over a hard crust mid-slope on Repeat Offender (1-2mm small grain facets)
A look at the not-so-inviting riding conditions on the upper portion of the slope...
Fitz is wishing this was "pow-strugi" not the real thing.
A look at the wind damage on Seattle Ridge proper. A small haboob (dust storm) can be seen in the distance along Turnagain Arm.