Today was cold, especially in the shade, but the snow was excellent. The high winds from two days ago has funneled down through any little gully and stiffened up the surface snow, but it is still soft and fluffy in mid elevation sheltered areas. We skied a variety of slopes between 8,000 and 10,000' today and didn't notice any signs of cracking, collapsing or natural avalanches. Given how windy it was the other day and the amount of new snow we've had, I was surprised at how stable the snow pack was. I think there is still a considerable chance of triggering a slide in the upper, wind exposed areas, but most other slopes are moderate to low danger.

Snowpit 9,578' / Northeast facing / 35 degrees

Total depth = 158cm

Stout crust layer at 90cm, but new snow is bonded well on top of it.

Light density snow on top (fist) / 1f crust layer down to about 85cm and then 4f to the ground

Not much basal faceting

ECT test = 24 with no propagation

Compression test = 26 with a ragged shear

Overall, the stability seems very good - moderate in most areas, and considerable on windloaded pockets up higher.