Most riders are getting up the highway a couple miles and unloading around the Whitney turn off.

In Whitney Basin above 9,000' the snow conditions are quite decent and I can remember some December and January months that did not have this kind of coverage. There is good supportable snow for sledding and turning, but it is early season and there are plenty of hazards to watch out for.

There is roughly 24 to 30" in the upper Whitney area and it is riding quite good and sleds are able to stay off the ground with some supportable snow underneath. The snow pack feels generally right side up with soft snow on top and getting harder towards the ground. It feels like a nice start to the season right now.

There was some old signs of shallow snow avalanches that likely happened during the past storm and maybe some more recent fresh wind slabs that avalanched naturally from strong southerly winds.

There is good coverage looking around the Whitney area, although some of the south facing slopes are still thin.