January 4
Butler, Wilson peak, Wilson glade, Alexander Basin
Elevations, slope angles and aspects
6200-10k, angles over 35°, all aspects
Snow conditions
Over night cool temperatures dried the new snow producing near surface faceting. A little surface hoar was observed, especially near water sources and in valley bottoms. Neither was well developed.
South facing produced good skiing into early afternoon with, limited wet activity. North facing had 8-10", settled nicely.
Weather
Beautiful day, clear skies, light wind and cool temperatures.
Snow pit
Evaluation
New snow loading did little to increase instability. No cracking and no collapsing observed in area traveled through. Snow pit testing in Wilson glade, down off the ridge, suggests potential for deep slab release. Large trigger is probably needed, gang skiing, falling in a shallow area, finding a weak or shallow spot, etc could result in a big surprize. Curent weather guess is for more wind and dense snow. Bonding of old surface with new dense snow may be questionable.
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