Major wind transport took place on Friday the 27th and although northerly aspects at and above tree line continued to be stripped yesterday the amount of airborne snow was noticeably less. Conditions on northerly aspects up high are extremely variable with a mix of scoured surfaces, cross loaded drifts adjacent to rock bands/cliffs, and hardened wind slab. Southerly-westerly aspects got loaded the past few days and although this aspect is not on most skiers run menu, it still should be noted and considered. There were avalanche results on cross loaded westerly aspects with explosive testing following this past storm. The Northern part of the forecast zone from June Lake up to Virginia Lakes should be given extra consideration as local snowfall amounts far exceeded anywhere else laying down an average of ~40cm of low density powder.
Although there is already a respectable snowpack in the Mammoth area and high elevations of the forecast zone, a majority of the area still has limited coverage with most backcountry riders reporting hitting obstacles and recording near misses. We’re off to a great start, so Keep It Real for a long season ahead!