Lundy Canyon - snow conditions

SNOWPACK OBSERVATION
Deer Creek
Submission Info
Forecaster
Monday, March 25, 2019 - 6:30pm
38° 0' 20.7" N, 119° 13' 11.64" W
See map: Google Maps
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

There was not much of the new snow left that fell Saturday, the winds took care of it subliminating it into the atmosphere today. There was a bit of depostion in sheltered trees, gullies and depressions. I found one northerly aspect which had 10-15cm of soft powder for a few hundred feet. For the most part surface conditions were comprised of melt-freeze crusts, windboard and slightly textured zones of softer nature. Due south aspects still warmed enough that skiing would have been pretty good, and overall skiing conditions were not that bad, it was a bit of a windbuff day, but it was the continual wind that made for somewhat arduous travel today, especially I guess since I was skinning into the wind for the majority of my uproute...poor choice.

Dug a few hasty pits where there was still some softer surface snow and found 10-15cm of 4F snow on top of a thin melt freeze crust that sat on top of another 3-4cm of 4F snow on top of firm 1F-P hard snow. Could not get anything to move on hard turns, kick turn tests or ski cuts; minor cracks off the ski tips were about it. 

Did not observe any active natural avalanching, except for some minor dry loose sloughing where wind transported snow was funnelling down steep and narrow terrain features. I did not get up to higher more exposed elevations to be able to test or see if there was any wind slab development, but I imagine in confined chutes and terrain conducive to capturing wind transported snow there is some windslab developing as I write this.

Snowpack photos: 
Snowpit videos (tests, etc): 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
25% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Gale Force
Air temperature trend: 
Static
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
More detailed information about the weather: 

Bad day to make a summit bid. Wind was honking up high with bannering snow across the range from Bishop up to Lundy Canyon. I was nearly blown down a few times while skinning up Deer Creek in the Lundy Canyon area. I would estimate the wind to be consistent 30mph down in the canyon at 9-10000ft elevation and it looked to be much higher at ridgetop, likely 70-80mph. Prevailing direction was from the southwest, but in the mountain environment it was swirling and coming from all directions at points. The continued haze throughout the area persisted and a heavier overcast layer over the mountains got thicker as the day went on. For the most part though, it was sunny and there was a bit of softening of snow on sunny sheltered aspects.

33F @ 130pm @ 10200ft

ESAC receives support from ...