Windy day at Hero Knob

Skied Hero Knob along with a couple dozen others in numerous very spaced out parties. Mild subzero temps, -5C to -1C. Easy travel except for very firm and crusty snow on the final ridgeline approach, and a spicy snowbridge on the way out. Strong W winds picked up by noon with occasional extreme gusts. Very large spindrifts loudly dumping snow onto talus slopes under the NE facing headwall, no subsequent avalanches. Decent easy skiing on variable but mostly-untracked soft dense wind-affected snow on older wind crust. Purple knob looked much more wind affected. Hard buried and semi-buried wet loose debris mainly on skier's right half-way down. Dust on temperature crust on the lowest 100 m.

Strong W ridgetop winds with occasional extreme gusts. Very large spindrifts off headwalls made noise but did not trigger anything on talus slopes below.