Date of Observation: 11/27/2022
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Climbed NTL: S, SE, E, NE; Skied ATL, NTL: NW, N, NE
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Saw a few D1-sized loose sluffs release naturally on leeward slopes triggered by active wind transport, which entrained top few inches of snow, and ran a few hundred feet in terrain ~35° in steepness.
Weather: Light snow; clear to cloudy; ATL winds from W, NW, N at ~20-30mph consistently
Snowpack: A huge range of snow conditions, depths, and structures. ~4 inches of new very dry snow NTL-ATL. Wind had transported up to ~6 inches of snow in leeward terrain by around noon.
No cracking or collapsing produced when skinning across suspect slopes with weak structure, and kicking cornices produced no results on slopes below.
New/wind transported snow was not stiffened yet and so made for decent skiing.
At lower more Easterly terrain snow was either icy, wind-stiffened, or sun-affected.