Our group skied Goldminer's and traveled into Talking Mountain Cirque. We found a safe spot to dig a pit on a 32 degree west facing slope at about 11,200 ft elevation. We found 180 cm of total snow depth with a layer of weak facets at about 90 - 100 cm above the ground. An ECT propagated a Q2 fracture with 22 strikes (ECTP22). Our group decided to not continue higher up the slope into steeper terrain, but to ski the slope below the pit where we could stay on terrain below 35 degrees.

Strong gusty winds were blowing from the south and transporting snow well below the ridge lines. Wind loading and cross loading was occurring on open slopes into the bottom of Talking Mountain Cirque.