About 5-7 inches of fresh snow above 9,000 feet. Experienced some cracking throughout our travels especially on steeper rollovers. I'd imagine that the danger of triggering a storm slab avalanche was significant in steeper terrain. Of note to us was the variable bed surface below the new snow from about 8,000 to 9,000 feet. Warm temperatures over the previous few days dampened our snowpack, even on north facing slopes. In some places the bed surface was still damp, and the new snow seemed well bonded. In others, a crust had developed before the new snow and we experienced more sloughing and cracking in these areas. Above 9,000 feet it seemed the old snow had not dampened on the West, North, and East facing slopes on which we traveled.

Winds were gusting above 8,000 feet. Early in the day the gusts seemed somewhat random, coming from different directions. In the afternoon, the wind was blowing from the west more steadily, with gusts probably in the 25-30 mph range. We did not experience major wind loading but we stuck to sheltered slopes. Along the ridgeline snow was clearly being transported. This danger will increase for sure with increasing winds and snowfall.