Date of Observation: 02/16/2023
Name: Evan Ross
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Washington Gulch. 10,000 to 12,600
Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: Any old wind slab or storm slab avalanches from last week have been blown back over. No notable natural avalanches stood out.
Weather: Overcast to mostly cloudy with thin high clouds most of the day. Clearing in the later afternoon. Consistent moderate winds above 11,500ft, that also tapered off in the later afternoon.
Snowpack: The alpine consisted of some monster drifts, loaded planner bowls with good-looking snow, and exfoliated crusts. When we moved through old wind slabs they felt stubborn. We avoided the biggest loaded terrain features. In the afternoon snow surfaces on west were moist at 11,000ft. Later noticed roller balls on SW and W from similar elevations and lower. A test pit on a 30-degree west-facing slope at 10,500ft had a layer of NSF down 45cm that produced a hard ECTN result.