Tinkers Knob Observations

We hiked up to Tinkers Knob today to check out the snow conditions in this area.  We reached some continuous snow at 8000' on northerly aspects and snow depths increased as we gained elevation.  This area has one of the deeper snowpacks we have seen so far this season, with up to 3-4' of snow above 8500' on north aspects.  This deeper snowpack was more uniform and dense with the only layer of concern being the surface faceting that is occurring.  Sun exposed areas did show some softening in the early afternoon, but most snow surface conditions remained firm to very firm with the potential for falling hazards.  We needed and used crampons and ice axes to move through this terrain today.