With all the talk of facets on northerly aspects, I decided to dig a snowpit on a southerly aspect for a new perspective. Dug in the meadow at the base of the flagstaff shoulder, slope angle <10 degrees, directly south-facing. HS 95cm, generally right-side-up, progressing from fist-hard at the surface powder to finger-hard in the 12/9 storm snow. 35cm and below was ice, at least pencil-hard. There was a slight density inversion from 35cm to 40cm of 4F hard snow, underneath a layer of 1F-hard snow, but this layer was not reactive in snowpit tests (ECTX) and will probably settle out. This provides a good reminder that there's plenty of safe powder to be enjoyed on southerly aspects, as long as one is careful not to allow subtle terrain variations to put them on a northerly aspect. Estimated danger ratings below are for SE-S-SW aspects only.