I knew nothing but high elevation N facing would have soft settled powder remaining so I went to White Baldy which is around 11,000ft due N and somewhat protected from NW winds unlike its brother in the next drainage Red Baldy. I felt lucky with what I got because the rest of the upper alpine was a mess from Tuesday nights and Wednesdays wind event. The NW winds and the clouds kept heating to a minimal in the high alpine with no softening of the melt-freeze crust noted, slide for life conditions on steep E,W and S, whippets and crampons suggested for travel in steep terrain. The amount of wet activity since our last storm has been minimal mostly due too not much new snow and most of the major wet activity taking place during the rain event last week. I was thinking about shallow wind slabs when I was booting up the top of White Baldy but they had not formed on the due N.

Photos: wind textured, but not slabbed up snow on the top of White Baldy, dust on a firm bed surface on the due north.