Wind Affected Snow in Exposed Areas and Softer Snow in Sheltered Areas

Today's trip to Elephant's Hump allowed us to see wind-affected and sheltered areas. It also gave us great views of the surrounding peaks. In the below treeline terrain where we started, we found soft cold snow on NW-N-NE aspects. When we dug into the snow, it got progressively more cohesive with depth. We identified several layers, including a graupel layer near the surface, but tests indicated good bonding rather than instability in the snowpack. 

Farther up, we moved into more exposed areas where the winds had reshaped the snow surface. More variable conditions existed in these places, including firm wind-pressed snow, wind-carved snow, and wind-scoured snow. We did find some shallow deposits of wind-blown snow that would crack a few feet downhill of our skis. None of these measured more than 2-3 inches in depth, and they all dissipated just a few feet from the ridges. From the top of Elephant's Hump, we could see pervasive wind hammered conditions on the surrounding peaks.