Almost two weeks with no new snow--it was hard to find the motivation to get out of bed this morning. The main route up Cutler Ridge to the divide did nothing to improve the mood as the snow surface appeared to have been trampled by a stampede of all the four and two-footed inmates of some large metropolitan area zoo. The snow in the lower elevations of the ridge remains faceted and rotten with ample surface hoar in shaded areas. A pole push easily penetrates to the ground. Mid elevations slopes on the ridge sport a healthy crust of varying origins.
Ben Lomond's big E-face is a patchwork of variable conditions including hard wind slab (2-3" thick), winded eroded dense facets, rime crusts, and rotten snow near bushy areas and rocks. The snow depth was about 4-5' and retains its generally poor structure.
The best skiing is in the N-facing trees N of the main ridge at mid-elevations where the snow consists of about 3' of dense facets. This was worth getting out of bed for!
