Punta Bardini - Rain crusts, new snow

Toured up Punta Bardini from propane tanks.  Rd was plowed, but decided to park off of main rd for fear of getting stuck by drifts.  This turned out to be a wise decision, as a propane truck was fully stuck in a drift when we skinned out.  Needless to say, the winds were strong in the open flats at low elevation.  

We found the frozen rain crust to exist throughout up to the summit at 10,100', but it was getting thinner at upper elevation, and I imagine didn't go up a whole lot higher than 10,100'.  There was a solid foot of new light snow at ~9000' by noon sitting ontop of locked up rain-crust.  In areas where wind was stripping snow vs. depositing, it was challenging holding an edge while skinning.  By mid-afternoon, 1.5'-2' of new light snow had fallen in the upper elevations, and closer to a foot in the lower elevation telebowls.

All our pokes into the snow showed the new snow bonding quite well to the rain-crust.  Ski cutting the upper convexity of one of the Bardini Chutes resulted in 3-4" soft slabs failing and propogating, but in several segments in order to reach all the way across the chute.  (required a bit of force, not ultra sensitive).  These slabs failed within the upper new snow deposit, which was ever so slightly denser wind-deposited.  We only ski cut the chute, and proceeded to the lower angle old growth.    

Dug a test pit at 8975 in protected trees, see attached profile.  Unconcerning stability test results.  

Overall Impression of Punta Bardini is that snowpack at the rain-crust and below have stabilized considerably, and today's concern existed for steep areas in the form of loose dry and soft slab.    

Strong west winds at the ridgetop, otherwise protected trees were quite pleasant.  Superb skiing, only hitting the bottom crust on some turns below ~8700' by mid-afternoon.