Shifting Winds on Tamarack Peak

Today felt cold, like a December day but with the intense sun of April. Yesterday's snow remained soft and unconsolidated on all aspects we traveled on until we left the area around 1 pm. This recent snow sat on a melt-freeze crust in many places, with only less sun-exposed N aspects exempt. Hand pits and general observations in below treeline areas sheltered from the winds did not reveal lingering signs of instability. 

Once we got up into more wind-exposed areas, we could see signs of strong and shifting winds. Large cornices existed above many N-NE facing slopes, while signs of surface scouring existed on these same aspects. W and SW aspects held small slabs of wind-drifted snow that cracked when we kicked them. None of these cracks extended very far. The more traditionally loaded slopes had a mix of soft snow and firm, wind-packed snow, but ski cuts on these slopes did not produce signs of instability. We dug a snowpit on a NE facing wind-loaded test slope. Compression tests identified several potential weak layers, including a buried surface hoar layer about 40 cm down. Tests also did not indicate that these layers remained unstable (ECTNs).