Dunn Range - Dec 5

Quick report

Weather

windy, warm, sunny

Ride Type

steepSlopes, openTrees

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

hard, windAffected, powder

Saturday Dec 5. Coverage is still marginal in many areas, particularly in the alpine. Good skiing in TL / BTL openings with smooth ground cover. Careful travel required elsewhere. HS ~95cm at 1500m, ~140cm at 2000m. Surface was heavily wind effected at upper treeline and above, scattering of needles / lichen from recent winds at TL. Surface hoar notable 1700m (~2mm) and below, increasing in size with decreasing elevation, up to a maximum size of about 30mm in shaded openings around 1500m elevation. SH crystals decreasing in size below this, to about 10mm at truck parking ~650m elevation. Sunny, warm & windy day with inversion in elevation range travelled. Stuck mostly to north facing terrain where surface remained dry, moist snow noted at ~1750m while crossing a sunny SW feature BTL at end of day.