Crust of doom

Quick report

dave · Jan 16, 2026 · Tumbler

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Quick report

Weather
warm, sunny, windy
Ride Type
sunnySlopes, mellowSlopes, openTrees
Stayed Away
steepSlopes, alpineSlopes
Riding Quality
ok
Snow Conditions
heavy, windAffected, hard, crusty

Went to Core for an AST field day, snow was about as awful as we expected. Not only is there an extremely hard breakable crust most places, but the upper part of the snowpack is extremely dense and solid, and there’s almost no penetration on foot or sleds. We found slightly better snow in the back meadows at around 1750m, with only a very thin crust with surface hoar growing on it. Upper 40 cm snow 4F-1F, slightly softer in more sheltered areas Road is mostly in good shape, but the last turn into the parking lot and the parking lot itself is glare ice. Really be careful if you’re taking a trailer in there. Pray for Snow!