I played hooky today and did a quick tour up to Laurel Meadow to see what manner of precipitation this last storm dropped. I was able to ski out directly from the winter trailhead and snow depth there appeared to be around 6-8 inches deep. Winds were kicking up pretty good, I estimate 20-30 mph gusts at my location and higher up it appeared to be much stronger. N-NE facing slopes above tree line were scoured and bare. As I approached Laurel Meadow, open areas were wind crusted and cracking. At a sheltered elevation of 10,606 ft I found the snow depth to be about 24 cm or 9.5 inches. While there was no avalanche danger at my location, the shallow snowpack was a hazard due to rocks and trees hiding just below the surface of the snow. Despite this, I was able to do several laps in the meadow before the sun warmed the snow to a less than enjoyable consistency. The good news is I went skiing today! The bad news is...I fear this snow could be troubling, possibly for the rest of the season due to ground level facets forming as it sits on the ground waiting for real winter to arrive.