The mountains picked up 6" from this last storm bringing the base depth up to 20" in Gold Basin. About a foot of snow is on the ground at the Geyser Pass winter trailhead. Season snowfall total is 29". The bottom line is that we are still a storm or two away from having enough coverage for real turning and riding off the roads. Unfortunately, it looks like another warm, dry week ahead. The good news is that the mountains are white, and there is enough snow on the road above the trailhead to slide around on. It even looks like Gavin Harrison took his snowcat up and over the pass on Friday so the road is somewhat groomed. Remember that the road is technically open until Dec 15, so if people try to drive on it, they are allowed to do so even if getting stuck is a certainty.

Several inches of pre-existing snow has turned to weak, sugary facets at the base of the snowpack on northerly aspects. Time will tell how big of a problem this becomes, but we'll be keeping an eye on it. For now, it's only a concern in upper elevation, northerly facing terrain where winds have drifted slabs over top. Most of the areas where you would encounter a problem are difficult to access because of the low coverage, but if you find yourself in the upper elevations, remember that if it has enough snow to ride, it has enough snow to slide. Suspect the deepest snow areas on the leeward sides of ridge crests and terrain features. Even a small avalanche triggered could take you for a very bumpy ride.