Nowcast - Wow... what a nice surprise! Last nights storm lit up the eastern front with an evenly distributed 10 inches of snow and about an inch of H20. In other words, slightly higher than our average snow density. With mostly cloudy skies overhead, trailhead temperatures clock in right around freezing while the ridges begin their day in the upper 20's F. Near the high peaks, winds blowing 40-50 mph from the west and southwest add a buzz-killing bite to the air. But don't let your help be troubled... lose a little elevation, get out of the wind, steer your snow riding rig towards sheltered terrain and you'll be rewarded with soft, creamy snow.

Forecast - Under mostly cloudy skies, snow showers taper off later this morning, though we might squeak a couple more inches out of the storm before it shuts down midday. Near the peaks, winds blowing 30-40 mph from the west are gonna be a nuisance, but should relax as the day wares on. High temperatures climb into the mid 30's F and dip into mid 20's F overnight.

Futurecast - Another wet, windy impulse is in the queue to round out the weekend.

Travel Conditions -

All the snowpros I knows report a tale of two snowpacks. Old snow near the ground on slopes facing the north half of the compass has grown weak and very sugary, while many sunny slopes are still waiting for the invite to the company-wide Holiday Party.

Ted visited the Bald Mountain area Thursday and I was in the Wolf Creek Zone. I'm still crunching the numbers, but if my math is correct... five out of five avalanche forecasters surveyed report a white from far, but far from white snowpack along with a few collapses in rocky slopes where the pack is shallow.

Meanwhile, Andy visited the South Slope on Tuesday.