Strong Winds and Fragile Cornices around Tamarack Peak

Storm snow in the Tamarack Peak area was around 2 ft, but density variations resulted in significantly easier skinning conditions than anticipated.  At the trailhead at 10:00 AM, ski penetration was 4 inches, and boot pen was ~10 inches.  As we worked our way up the ridge, snow depth increased but very minimally.  The strong SW winds had built out fragile cornices on any exposed features.  Test slopes loaded by SW winds were easily triggered and produced crown heights up to 12" that easily propagated.  The strong winds and blowing snow resulted in very low visibility, which made engaging with larger terrain out of the question and hindered our ability to survey for surrounding avalanche activity.  It snowed throughout the tour, and rates ranged from light to moderate.  On our drive back to Truckee, the snow line hovered near lake level at 2:00 PM.