Freezing rain above Echo Lake

Winds were absolutely howling here in Meyers last night. I ventured up to Echo Summit and out on Becker Ridge to see what occurred at a higher elevation. At the beginning of Echo Lake road from the SnoPark there was widespread evidence of the recent gale force winds. Winds were light for most of my tour until near my high point around 8000 feet when they were gusting in the moderate range. While there was still snow remaining on trees at lower elevations everything was wet from rain. As I gained elevation the wet surface conditions transitioned to a frozen surface from previous freezing rain. There was some evidence of new snow filling in previous skin tracks but little evidence of soft snow that was still available for wind transport. The surface conditions I encountered from about 7400 - 8000 were either wet or locked under a frozen shell of freezing rain. The couple wind loaded test slopes I jumped on produced no cracking and very little ski penetration. 

Photo 1: Tons of down needles and small branches covering the snow surface.

Photo 2: Presumed recent wind driven fallen tree

Photo 3: Blackened trees without any snow on them. In some of the burn areas the snow is noticeably darkened by bits of soot fallng off the trees. I imagine this will speed up snow melt due to solar input in these areas later in the season.

Photo 4: Old ski and snowshoe tracks in this more open area where mostly filled in by wind transported snow despite there not being soft snow currently present.

Photo 5: Evidence of wind eroding snow on the tree line ridge. 

Photo 6: Cornices that appear to have pulled away in places. There are a good amount of burned trees on the windward part of this ridge and this may slightly alter wind patterns due to fewer needles and branches slowing the wind. 

Photo 7: No cracking and minimal ski penetration on this wind loaded test slope

Photo 8: Thick frozen rain

Photo 9: Interesting pattern of frozen rain on a pine needles.