Between crust & a hard place

Following a period of strong to extreme winds, new snow and warmer temperatures - combined with limited observations-  we set out cautiously today with a plan to move through terrain and assess recent changes in the snowpack. We found a crust below 1100m that made for challenging riding, but happily above this elevation conditions improved significantly. However, as we transitioned into the alpine we quickly found wind slab on lee features as well as a variety of hard, wind affected surfaces. Although unreactive to our skis, we were wary of the wind slab in steeper terrain and on unsupported slopes, so we kept our skiing to mellow runs beneath 1300m: ~ 200 m of decent turns!