Cracking Up

Not much to report except frozen, sagging, and cracking cornices.  Otherwise, the forecast today was spot on.  

The surface crust had everything locked up. We needed ski crampons to ascend a southwest and west facing slope.

• The highlight was of today was observing cornices that were sagging and cracking along the ridgeline (see photo).
• We observed no signs of recent instability.
• Air temp during the day stayed cool, so the snow surface did not get warm prior to our 3pm exit. Winds were very light, with occasional moderate gusts.
• We skied a west facing slope that had some soft snow on a supportable crust. It was carvable and better than expected for making turns.  Below 6500 feet, our turns became increasingly more difficult as the crust and frozen roller balls became hazards.
• Surrounding peaks and ridgelines are looking very brown. 
• The lower elevation coverage of a supportable crust made for a quick exit.