Cabin Creek

We rode into Cabin Creek very delicately, and it was great to be riding in late November. Hitting rocks is the greatest threat. 

Overall conditions are thin but great to see so much snow.

9000 ft, N facing - 87 cm (~35 inches)

9100 ft, SE facing - 49 cm (~20 inches)

8100 ft, E facing - 35 cm (~13 inches)

Some faceting is occurring in the snowpack (aka - weakening), but the current state of the snowpack isn't the main issue. It's hard to appreciate how cold things are in the mountains and how cold the snow will get under clear skies. Clear nights in December will significantly weaken the snowpack, and it will look A LOT different the next time we come back. 

What we need? - Snow. We don't need a lot but a few inches every few days along with cloudy skies will help things a TON.

Where can you trigger an avalanche right now?  - I think you need to find a slope with recent wind drifts where you can either get a wind slab or persistent slab avalanche. 

Lastly - the radiation recrystallization process is happening as well. On an East-facing slope at 8100 ft at around noon, the surface of the snow was dry but snow just under the surface was damp.