Single digits in Valley this morning. Warmer at elevation and in the sun! mid teens this afternoon back at the trailhead. Sunny. NW wind began to pick up around 1pm. Flagging on high ridges.
Observation: Portage / Placer
Location: Squirrel Flats
Placer river Valley to Squirrel Flats (north route) to Spencer Bench Cabin.
Weather
Snow surface
6-10" on stout crust in valley bottom. Much deeper with elevation. Boot pen 24-30" low density unconsolidated snow at 1800'. No slab to speak of at the surface in any areas protected from the wind.
Snowpack
Pit 1: Comet Glacier. 3800' North. 30 deg slope. CT13, ECTP18 down 50cm on buried surface hoar. 50cm above bsh was fist hard. Unconsolidated.
Pit 2: Climbers right of Squirrel uptrack. 2,000' NE. 26 deg slope. CT18, ECTP21 down 55cm on bsh. Fist hard above and unconsolidated above.
Cut some roof cornices on the Spencer Bench Cabin. Total season snowfall on the roof has consolidated to 235cm. Bottom 1/2 is pencil to knife hard slab. Some serious weight!
Active flagging picked up around 1300 on the high peaks. Looking south toward Grandview.
Mid storm slabs and point releases on the SW face of Comet peak.
Snowpit #2. Climbers right of uptrack. 2,000. HS > 320cm. CT18, ECTP21 on buried surface hoar down 55cm.
235cm.... a seasons worth of snow (so far) on the Spencer Bench Cabin roof. ~1800'.
The big bump is the Cabin.
Surface conditions are pretty alright!