Wet and Windy in Ward Canyon

- Went for a morning tour up Grouse Ridge to check new / old snow and test out the gore-tex.

- Mix of rain/snow at trailhead @ 7100 feet. Above 7500 up to moderate (S2) snowfall was observed, along with strong/extreme SW winds with moderate/intense snow transport on ridgeline. 

- Dug a quick snow profile at 8100 feet on a NE aspect. HS 70, HST 50. New snow had a few density changes due to fluctuating temps. 4F facets near ground were not as weak as I anticipated. They were moist / easy to clump. This was most likley due to our lower elevation as they were not as weak as they could be above 9k (Mount Rose Area). Curious how the snowpack there is managing with the new load. No tests were conducted besides a shovel shear (STE), which failed 50cm down on new/old snow interface (MFcr). With the limited data / tests I concluded this layer was still of concern in this area but needs more investigating. 

- Classic Sierra cement on the low-angle ridge down. Pretty hard to link good turns, most smaller obstacles in this area were covered, and with ski pen being minimal we did not hit any rocks, stumps, etc.