No signs of instability seen today.
A cornice fall from sometime in the past couple days was seen on the headwall of the upper cirque that triggered a couple wind slabs below.
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Spokane Ck (between Lipps and Pete's N)
Toured up toward Lipps Ridge but due to what looked to be a good amount of wind effect on Lipps, we decided to keep heading up the main drainage (Spokane Ck) instead. We make it to the upper cirque, with a high point of 3,800′. Despite the last few days of windy incredibly weather and a lot wind damage, we were happy to also find some soft snow here and there.
Observer Comments
Weather
Not a cloud in the sky.
Winds were light down valley (east) in the drainage and blowing snow along the high peaks at times from the NW.
Temps in the teens.
Snow surface
Variable! Wind crusts, scoured hard surfaces, hard wind slabs, and soft settled powder.
Minor sun effect today - light winds and chilly temps seemed to keep the southerly faces mostly dry. On very steep south a hint of warming was seen.
Snowpack
Dug one pit at 3,300' on an SSW face, 35 deg slope. Snow depth 240cm.
No results in our pit, we dug where there was soft surface snow on top.
We were able to find a few wind slabs along the ridge and could not get them to crack, seemed pretty locked into place.
In the small area we traveled today, we didn't see anything concerning except for lingering wind slabs in steep terrain.
Natural cornice fall that triggered a couple wind slabs below - a day or two old
A little wind transport over Pete's N ridge
Wind effect on Lipps Ridge
Snowpit at 3,300' in the upper cirque
Goldpan (in Bertha Ck drainage) seen from far back along Lipps Ridge
Wild wind features in Spokane Ck