Stevens Peak Obs

Found predictably variable conditions on Stevens today. Taking advantage of the different aspects yielded better than anticipated conditions on north facing below treeline terrain. The approach at Stevens is getting challenging (especially below 8200), but plenty of snow is lingering up high and on non-South aspects. The more southerly the aspect, the less snow. Forecasted clouds materialized and reduced impacts of the sun's impact. Very minor softening occured by 2:00pm when I left the area. While only a few inches of snow fell over the weekend, there were multiple zones holding consistently soft snow. The areas not holding new snow provided firm skiing conditions. I did not encounter any instabilities on my tour. 

Photo 1: Height of recent new snow in a gully on generally north east facing terrain. 

Photo 2: General coverage on Stevens, but I thought the reverse ski tracks in the lower section of this photo showed the variable nature of the conditions. 

Photo 3: High clouds with occasional patches of blue sky. 

Photo 4: Ample soft snow hiding in shady zones. 

Photo 5: ECTN 17 with the crust zone being the weak layer. The crust is mostly broken down in this area. 

Photo 6: Hand hardness with the old crust area being around 155cms in this location. Pit location at the pin drop.