December 15
A spooner in Beartrap. Careful, they can be dangerous.
Location:
Started at lower Solitude, crossing the road and following the summer trail to the Mill F road, following that to the Willow cutoff. Ascended to the top of West Monitor and descended.
Ascended the southeast facing to the ridge continuing along the ridge to South Monitor, descending the north facing.
Ascended the southeast facing to the ridge and descended Wills Hill to the flats. Ascended the south facing to the top of McDonalds and descended, ascending the same route, following the ridge west to Beartrap. Followed the west Willow ridge south for some distance descending the east facing into Willow heights continuing down and out past the beaver ponds to Silver fork lodge.
Weather:
It was a bluebird with temperatures twenty+ degrees warmer than yesterday. Little wind.
Snow:
Snow conditions ran the gamut from recrystalized dry powder, sun crust, melted sun crust, boilerplate, breakable crusts, shallow wind drifts etc.
Some sking was quite good with challenging skiing interspersed. The snow conditions could be summed up as old and beat up.
Bottom Line:
Snow is stable with possible hazard of a pocket of hard slab pulling loose in a place or two, but even those would likely be small and without consequence.
