Snow Observation from Iron Mountain

I estimate about 5"-6' of new snowfall overnight based on depths observed at my house (3800') and in wind sheltered lower elevation areas, but wind transport varied the depth from two inches on wind scoured ridges to a foot in wind loaded areas.  Ski Pen varied similarly from an inch, to several inches.  Boot pen was similarly varied from ankle deep to just above the boot top.  Using a probe in a somewhat average appearing area, I measured 120cm of total depth, with a rather firm layer at 25cm that took some effort to penetrate, it also felt pretty thick which would be consistent with the rain at this lower elevation (7300') from Friday and some of Saturday.

Wind transport was pretty solid, filling my skin tracks up about 50% in near ridge top areas in about an hour, after a few hours going back to the parking lot, some of my skin tracks were completely filled in, as were all the snowmobile tracks on the ridge tops.  Once off the ridges and into the wind sheltered drainages, snowmobile tracks were only obsured by new snowfall, and I didn't feel or see any wind blowing down there, there was no wind loading in the gullies.

Streams with significant running water was visible in some broken areas of the snowpack indicating the rain event is still filtering through the snowpack, at least at this elevation, and has yet to freeze up completely.  I thought it wise to stay out of anything that looked like a stream bed, so I stayed on ridge tops and side hills, stopping short of hitting bottom.

Around mid day I was able to create some minor pinwheels skinning along ridge lines with 30-35 degree slopes below me.

No surface hoar was present anywhere I went.  I also didn't hear any whumphing, see or create any cracking or note any other signs of instability aside from the small pinwheels on certain loaded slopes.  I didn't see any recent evidence of avalanches in the area.

Image 1: Further from the ridge tops, minimal wind transport resulted in minimal skin track filling

Image 2: Closer to the ridge top, wind transport resulted in more substantial skin track filling

Image 3: Small pinwheels rolling down a 30-35 degree slope.