Colder temps and clear skies have beaten on the upper snowpack for the last week and varying aspects/elevations of Cardiff and Mill B South showed it.

The temperature gradient is strong in many areas, even stronger in areas that have avalanched, promoting faceting. Surfaces above 8500' consist of some wind slabs (isolated to ridgetops and exposed Northerly aspects) and crusts on solar aspects but overall dry, loose faceted snow. An average upper snowpack from the area is shown in Pic 1 with surface hoar overalying a thin, soft crust with a cold mess of facets descending through the top portion of the HS. In some areas that had previously avalanched and/or held thin snow the top 40+cm was all incredibly weak.

Very few remnants of December's avalanche cycles remain aside from isolated wind-affected soft slabs in steep, rocky terrain (Pic 2)

The Surface Hoar game has been running its course with wind and temps and most sheltered surfaces held 2-5mm SH (Pic 3) with some areas with available water vapor holding special feathers (Pic 4)