Bishop Bowl

9:15-Started tour from parking at Aspendell.  8400ft.  Clear skies.  No wind.  No snow transport noted over upper ridges. Air= -3C. Avalanche debris from last storm cycle noted in both E-SE facing gullies visible from parking lot. Gully on the looker's right side ran ~400 ft and 75 feet wide.  Enough debris at the bottom to potentially bury a skiier.

9:45- Snow variable on moraine. SE aspect beginning to melt. NE aspects wind affected with pockets of powder snow.

11:00. Light to moderate wind. Snow transport noted over ridges. Wind from NW. Dug multiple hand pits on E-NE facing slopes.  Generally very wind affected unless sheltered in the trees. Top layer was 5cm thick, ranging from 1 finger to pencil hard.  Below this, there was 25-30 cm four finger snow. Most pits failed with moderate force on facet layer at 30 cm depth. Ski penentration on these wind exposed snows ranged from 0-5cm.

11:30- Winds increasing, moderate snow transport over slopes at 10,400ft and ridges above. We stopped here to examine a pit dug a few days earlier. Probing for snow depth proved inconclusive, but definitely greater than 300 cm. Similar facet layer seen here at 30cm depth.

12:00- Turned around near tree line at 11,000 ft.  Continued snow transport over ridges. Slopes above looked very wind affected. Air temp= -1C.

Surpisingly good skiing through NE facing trees.  Ankle deep, light snow in many spots. Lower down, more of a mixed bag depending on aspect and wind affect.