In Raymond bowl we skied 50-70cm of awfully nice snow, and coverage was (barely) sufficient to sneak out through the Butler Trees. Others put nice lines off Raymond summit.

We finally saw south aspects impacted by solar input. Settlement cones suggested strengthening, and a 10cm ski pen made for cruiser trail braking but speaks to a less fluffy surface.

Moreover, the same shortwave radiation that kept us in t-shirts hiking to Baker Pass was transmitted through the efficiently-cooling surface stellars to heat and melt a layer just 1 cm down. The process presumably shut off with mid-afternoon cloud cover, and a thin crust was formed. Although we didn’t find the crust higher off the Raymond shoulder, on solar aspects below 9600’ there are now places with distinct (although easily skied) crust hidden loose flakes. Didn’t take the scope out to see if the classic cups and needles of radiation recrystallization formed before cooling put an end to the steep temperature gradient. Either way, without a good round of snow to bury the delicate layer we’re unlikely to see action on what could--in the right circumstances-- be a persistent weak layer.

Wind was a non-issue in the Mill A neighborhood. Aside from the subtlest sculpting, cornicing and stiffening on Raymond shoulder there was nothing to see. And today’s calm winds weren’t adding loads to start zones in our vicinity.

We skied south but dropped into the north for a quick pit. Found small basal facets and mixed stability results, described further in the profile section.