I found snowpack conditions on both ends of the spectrum on Tuesday. Deep locations (areas with 5 to 6' of total snow) have very strong layers in the mid and upper pack. The old weak snow near the ground has gained strength. Snowpit tests did not yield any significant results. On the other end I also found shallow areas where the snowpack is "punchy" and contains loose sugary faceted snow. This was mostly on northwest facing slopes along the higher ridges where the wind has kept the total depths shallow. I felt comfortable getting onto some steeper north facing terrain but the slopes were quite short with no serious consequences if they would have avalanched.
Persistent Weak Layer Summary, 2021-2022:
There was a foot or more of snow that fell in October.
This snow melted away on many slopes but it stayed on northwest, north and northeast facing slopes above about 8500'.
The snow that stayed turned into a weak sugary layer during dry weather in November.
We saw a large amount of snow in December which landed on top of the weak snow from October.
The weak layer of sugary faceted snow collapsed and produced avalanches under the stress of the large storms.
The weak layer is still present. We are monitoring it and are hopeful it will become more stable with time.