I think the main takeaway today was the lack of signs of instability. Today, I felt comfortable beginning to step out into manageable avalanche terrain. While traveling, we experienced no cracking, no collapsing, and very few signs of drifted or hollow snow. Even stepping into steeper terrain, the new snow seemed generally settled. We witnessed a lot of evidence of people stepping into steeper terrain today with not many signs of instability.
That said, across the canyon we did see a wind slab that pulled out to older snow. I think that represents the type of terrain that will remain on the radar: shallow, steep, rocky, north facing terrain that is more wind-loaded and holds weak snow. Repeater slopes will remain suspect, and as I step out, I will be thinking about the snowpack depth, the terrain underneath the snow, and the consequences that exist.
I generally stayed away from solars, but I would guess the periods of clouds helped.
Point releases - N. facing terrain
