NE Fireplug

Ski tour from 1030a-2p on primarily SE E NE aspects of Fireplug in the Tamarack Peak area.

A light breeze seemed to keep the more southerly faces from melting out too quickly, although a thin crust and small roller balls were observed later in the day.  Lower elevation E faces had a slight crust.  NE faces remained cold and soft.  

A quick pit at 9000' NE facing showed a consolidated upper snowpack F-4F with few signs of layering or weakness in the top approx 100cm.  ECTX.  Snow was still in trees with signs of settlement at tree bases.  Ski cuts on steeper upper potentially windloaded slopes showed no signs of instability.   Little or no cornice on upper ridge.

Picture is of filled in stress cracks in what would have been hang fire directly below summit ridge above an obvious start zone, but we did not see any sign of an old crown or debris.  We did see an old crown and debris field covered with a foot or so of new snow that started mid slope in an obvious convexity approx 50' wide that ran a hundered feet or so through trees and stopped well above the flats.