On Sunday afternoon, we traveled from WMR to Skook Ridge with the intention of assessing conditions on and skiing Skook face. As we followed the skin track from the canyon road, we noticed point-release wet slides from exposed rocks and dirt throughout the Skook Chutes (S/SW aspects). We also observed abundant .25" - .5" hoar crystals on all shaded/treed aspects.
Upon reaching the ridge, we dug a hasty pit in the sun and found a 45 cm-deep snowpack with the three distinct layers prevalent throughout the advisory area. The most recent layer of snow (from the 12/2 snowfall) had softened in the sun, though the thick "Thanksgiving crust" remained quite hard. Though we had observed the top layer sluffing on shadier aspects, the snow on the exposed face was more prone to roller balls.
