Road obs of the back side of Gilpatrick, note multiple glide cracks
Snow on the ridgeline, wind effect
Tundra patches on the ridgeline
Point release on west bowl, started mid slope (not at rocks)
Observation: Summit
Location: Tenderfoot
Started from the pull-out at 11:15 am. 52°, sunny, high scattered clouds, breeze in and out. Took the regular skinner up to 3200 ft elevation . Snow was a lot firmer and deeper than we were expecting. Probed 145 cm deep at 1700 ft elevation. Gaining the ridge line (2300 ft) the snow became even more supportable, and the wind really picked up (2800 ft). Lots of wind effect on the ridge line, some exposed tundra patches. Cornice on the ridge is smaller than it has been in years past.
Skiied the west bowl down. Plenty of sluffing. A little variable at the top of the run (very old debris?) but excellent corn the rest of the way down the apron. Hiked out the creek. Very slushy by the time we got back to the campground. Back at the pull-out at 2:45 pm.