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Weather Summary

Clear in the morning in the Sawtooths, lots of direct solar input. Skies stayed clear until I drove south around 1130. Field WX: 1230-1500: cloud cover and wind speeds increasing in afternoon, blowing strong at upper elevations, moderate at middle elevations, light at lower, all out of the SE-S-SW. Cloud cover increased from ~20% to ~80% during tour

Snowpack Observations

Surfaces were softening but still ski supportable around noon at lower elevations. Anything in the shade still had an icy crust at this time. Significant warming/melting at lower elevations during the early afternoon, by end of tour (1500) I was experiencing quite a bit of collapsing at lower elevations as I sunk through the degrading crust into the mush below. Skied great, consistent, supportable corn on SE-S-SW at 1500 on middle and upper elevation slopes, didn't seem like there was going to be a wet loose problem in these areas today. Combination of cloud cover and wind were keeping the surface cool and drained. Also did not seem like lower elevation shadies were getting to a wet loose problem today, but I didn't encounter them directly. Lower elevation solars were plenty warm, though I suspect much of the avalanche terrain in these areas is already burned off or has run its course without significant temperature increase and above freezing overnight temps.

Looking forward: surfaces on solar slopes were pretty rough and irregular, and not particularly icy. Doesn't seem like these are likely to produce much more than a predictable wind slab problem when loaded. Shaded slopes at middle and upper are significantly faceted and will likely be more reactive.

Avalanche Problems

Did not encounter avalanche problem today.