Sun in a burn, but no sun burn

We traveled off Flower Point (side country of WMR) to assess post storm conditions and analyze the potential for increased hazard that may come with the new snow in the next few days.

• 3 inches of new snow collected over ~ 7 cm of sugary, near-surface facets, this rests on a sun crust and has low cohesion. Our ECT showed full propagation across the column below this crust. For more in-depth snow and stability test results, view the snow observation tab.
• Light winds and moderate gusts were apparent at the beginning of the day but subsided by the end, no blowing snow or significant wind loading was observed.
• Roller balls and signs of warming started at mid elevations on both West and East facing slopes at 6200 ft but did not initiate any sliding or propagating (image).
• Observed a small isolated slab avalanche on a steep, west-facing slope that may have broken on one of the crusts buried in the top ~35cm of the snowpack (image)
• Despite the low accumulations, skiing was great off the east face of Chicken Bones. While descending on a south slope the warm heavy snow became more challenging to navigate at lower elevations but the lack of crust kept the skiing enjoyable. The moist snow at the snow surface will likely refreeze overnight.