Goal was to get out to see how the storm was coming in and the myriad surfaces the new snow would be falling on. Lots of variable wind and some cross loading due to terrain channeling. No instabilities other than subtle cracking on newly developed wind deposits.

The old snow surface is beat up in many exposed areas, and the skiing is a solid 2 stars on solar aspects. There is a pronounced layer of 1mm surface facets in protected polar terrain that could become active with the new load from snow and wind. This layer is up 35cm thick after the prolonged drought. The location of my snow profile was in an area where surface hoar would quickly be destroyed by wind and I did not find any.

The overall height of snow is 100-150cm above 9500' and this is well above ground roughness in many locations. Where the surface facets are continuous across large areas it may become possible that avalanches will be well connected during and after this storm if it produces forecasted amounts, particularly in wind loaded areas. With only an inch of water it may not be enough to tip the scales, but incremental loading over the next 5-7 days might just do it?

Left the field by 1300.