Mt Tom - Conditions

Toured up NW facing terrain from Pine Creek (7,200') up to 11,800' and down Elderberry Canyon. Mostly sunny skies with some clouds, above freezing temps and periods of light westerly winds at all elevations. Variable conditions on ascent of NW facing terrain, crampons very necessary for a good portion of it.  Lots of very firm melt-freeze areas, areas of wet slide debris (see attached photo) and frozen smooth bedsurface, and some patches of wind deposited soft wintery snow epecially above 11,000' (mostly in the range of 2-3", but up to 10" on some wind deposited areas).  Still finding some loose graupel under melt-freeze crusts at mid elevations as well.  

We opted for decent into Elderberry Cyn rather than the chatter that a good portion of the NW facing mid-elevation slopes would offer as we had doubts how much they would soften tiday.  We descended E facing slopes at 12:30, which ended up being just right transitions onto lower elevation northerly facing slopes all the way to the bottom of snowline at 6800'.  Big smiles with wide sweeping corn turns :-)   No signs of instability during our timeframe of travel save for a few minor rollerballs from turns.