Conditions have taken a turn for the sketchier on Ferry Peak.  Today Dani, Maestra, and I turned around halfway up Roman Nose due to poor visibility, dumping snow, building winds, and soft slab formation.  B-T Avalanche has issued an Avalanche Watch for the whole region, and I think it will probably get bumped up to a warning before too long.

Yesterday it snowed 3 inches in Town of Alpine and more in the peaks.  The snow came in cold, delicate, and windless.  Last night and today it snowed another 4-6 inches in town, and perhaps twice that in the mountains by mid-afternoon.  It’s warmer today and the snow is a bit heavier and denser but not wet.  Winds are building.

Skinning up today we found the skintrack exceptionally slick despite the fresh snow because the new snow was sliding on the 3-6 inches of low density fluff below.  I can’t recall a time when new snow felt so slick on a skin track that wasn’t slick (at all) prior to the new snow.

Skiing down I got some small soft slabs to break on the same interface between the most recent snow and the lighter fluff below.  WNW aspects though I’m sure I could have gotten things to move on other aspects as well.

I’ll be working tomorrow: sadly, my 6 day weekend (excluding my night jobs of course) has come to an end.  Luckily, I probably wouldn’t want to ski tomorrow anyway aside from the safest terrain available.  Have fun out there and be safe.  My next snow report will probably be from Saturday the 10th, unless it snows so much that work gets cancelled again (unlikely).