This advisory is generated from fieldwork performed on Sunday, December 22, and weather observations taken on the morning of December 23. It is to be used as a guideline for back-country travelers for the upcoming week. A large ridge of high pressure is building off the West Coast and this will keep us under a dry, northwest flow, with little change in the weather over the next 5 days. This advisory will be updated should significant changes occur.

I covered quite a bit of ground in the mid-upper elevations yesterday, and was surprised to see how much conditions had freshened up. The mountains picked up 4" -8" of light density snow between Thursday and Saturday, and the overall effect on the snow surface was remarkable. I found good "dust on crust" conditions on southerly aspects, and where the new snow had fallen on older, re-crystallized powder, skiing and riding conditions were excellent. Above tree line, there are some wind scoured areas on the most exposed terrain, but many of the wind crusts formed by the strong NW winds of a week ago were covered with several inches of fresh snow. Southerly aspects should be ok for another day until the sun has its way them, but as long as winds stay relatively well behaved, good skiing and riding conditions should last on shady aspects through the week. There is currently 24" on the ground at the Geyser Pass Trailhead, and 39" in Gold Basin.

More detailed observations including photos and a pit profile are available here