Observation Date: 10/24/2019

Route/Location:
Curious about the amount and conditions of the recent snow, I climbed up the East St Mary’s approach and skied one run down towards the West face of Grey Wolf, then climbed to the top of ESM and skied until the snow petered out at ~ 8,000 ft.

Weather:
Overcast with the occasional sunburst.

Wind:
Winds were steady out of the west all-day at 10-20 mph and likely gusting to 30 mph or so.

New Snow: 12+”

Avalanche Activity:
The snowline is at about 7,800 ft beginning with ~15 cm of snow on the south-facing approach, building quickly to ~75 cm up at 8,500 ft. All solar aspects below 8,500 ft are capped with a significant crust (~3-5 cm) which seems to have prevented the winds from tearing all of the new snow away, as well as creating difficult skiing conditions. I observed some fresh slough piles at the bottom of the West couloir of Grey Wolf, which is quickly filling in, but other than that slopes in the area are void of any avalanche activity and are smeared with a thick coat of fresh, dense snow. I dug a quick hand pit directly below the summit of ESM (E facing, 9,400 ft) and found ~ 90 cm of snow, with a consistent density from bottom to top and no crust.

Other Comments:
Looks like a solid foundation has been laid for the Missions snowpack, we will see how the fall weather treats the surface conditions before the next set of moisture rolls in.

Observer: Ned Gall