Date of Observation: 02/19/2016
Name: Evan Ross
Aspect: East
Elevation: 9,400-11,400
Avalanches:
Weather: Mostly Clear sky in the morning with scattered high thin clouds in the afternoon. Light winds.
Snowpack: Crazy cool snow surfaces in the open valleys bottoms, Washington Gultch, Slate, Gothic ect. Toney The Tiger like with leopard prints ranging from gleaming rain crusts, graupel pow and brown dusty patches.
Climbing out of the valley bottom the snow surfaces was either, melt-freeze/rain crust, graupel pow or some other version of dense snow. The snow surface was variable and hard to describe. A very soft crust was either scratchy under skis on the surfaces or under 1-4″ of dense new snow. Ski pen was around 5 to 10cm and boot pen around 15-20cm on easterly aspects. On these easterly aspects steeper slopes held dry snow through the day while 30 degree or less slopes had some hot cream on the surface.
No avalanche problems found in the terrain we travel No new wet loose avalanches observed on Gothic south-east.