We have had predominantly northerly wind patterns of late with a day of SW wind thrown in yesterday. Wind direction switched back again last night to NE flow and will continue today into Tuesday. Trace amounts of snow were added last night to residing reservoirs of older soft transportable snow across the zone…so the bottom line is that there is material available to be moved around and deposited. The Northern part of the forecast zone from June Lake Area up to Virginia Lakes area should be given extra consideration as Christmas snowfall there exceeded anywhere else (~40cm) and then again today this zone has the potential for “Lake effect” snowfall that could produce locally higher amounts (6-10”) if weather conditions line up.
Although fairly small in nature, there have been a few skier triggered slides the past two days on northerly aspects, so it shows there is some sensitivity out there. Be on your toes and consider what your getting into. Tight, convex, or terrain with exposure should be considered carefully before committing to.
A respectable snowpack exists in the Mammoth area and high elevations of the forecast zone, but a majority of the area still has limited coverage with most backcountry riders reporting hitting obstacles and recording near misses. Patience is key for being injury free.