We returned to White Pine after being there 4 days ago. And yes, there's still monsters in the basement like the last trip. with several dozen probes with my ski pole turned upside down as I traveled, I easily detected the very weak layer of depth hoar near the ground. I dug a snow profile (attached) and found a very similar profile as last time with columns collapsing relatively easily with easy elbow taps and extended column tests propagating with medium elbow taps. On the other side of the stability coin, we now have a relatively thick, stout slab above the weak layer making any avalanches more difficult to trigger but if you do trigger one, it will create a large and very dangerous avalanche. I was also curious about the avalanche conditions on repeater slide paths because several people are triggering them these days. I was not able to dig or test one in the time we had. It's that clumsy time in an avalanche cycle when the hazard is slowly creeping down but there's occasional, pesky, booby traps lurking--with high consequences.

Of note, a couple other parties got away with traveling up, down and underneath several steep, large slopes that face north through east, plus travel in the bottom of a terrain trap--without triggering avalanches. I was not willing to follow their tracks. Skiing is just as good on gentler terrain.