Mt Houghton Snow Profile

Encountered strong winds throughout the day and wind loading on lee slopes. Solar rad was down due to overcast skies, however breaks would form that allowed for excellent visibility for ~30 seconds at a time. Extreme faceting beneath crusts was observed on all elevated aspects of Mt Houghton, skis would penetrate crusts on each step and release sugar from beneath onto top of ski.

Icy scoured crust and terrible surface on windward aspects, stuck to lee slopes for skiing. Attached snow profile had us concerned with recent solar crusts and extremely reactive Jan 4th persistent weak layer with deeper instabilities as well. We decided to ski very low angle terrain.

Overall a windy but pleasent day to tour the backcountry with some visually epic clouds to create interest and generate excellent views, not a day for sending big lines.