Sherwins - stability

Afternoon tour up the Sherwins from the end of old mammoth Rd, down the hose, and back up to the end of old mammoth rd.  Some swirly moderate winds mid-slope and above in the afternoon.  Interestingly, lots of wind effect along the ridgetop with firm snow, but no cornice formation despite the strong winds during the recent storm. (see attached photo).  Just shows how variable the wind directions were!  8-10 different tracks seen descending.  One very small skier triggered slab was noted at ~8500' on a steep convex roll (10ft wide, ~10" tall).  Multiple hand pits throughout tour varied from not failing at all, to moderate force resulting in moderately planar failures.  Most concerning one was ~9400', NE facing slope.  ECTN16 20cm down (fist ontop of 1finger-), and ECTN21 37cm down (1finger- ontop of fist).  Total snow depth at this spot near side-ridge was 265cm.  One tiny shooting crack (1.5ft long). Settlement cracks around trees.  Overall impression was that slopes have stabilized considerably over the past day.  Turns were quite good, despite minor denser wind-deposited snow in many areas.