Cold and Windy on Rubicon

Three to four inches of new snow had accumulated at the Rubicon trailhead. This fresh snow rested on a supportable crust on all aspects. The amount of new snow on top of the crust increased as I ascended with close to eight inches of new snow at the upper elevations. I did not see cracking around my skis as I skinned, nor did my ski cuts on steep slopes in sheltered areas produce signs of unstable storm slabs. The new snow remained cold and soft and lacked cohesion in non-wind-affected areas. 

As I moved into the more exposed zones near the summit of Rubicon, I could see recently formed wind slabs, blowing snow, and wind-scoured areas near the ridge. When I kicked on wind-loaded test slopes, cracks shot out from ski skis. One small test slope produced a small wind slab failure when I ski cut it, but the slab fell apart quickly on this small slope. Snow showers and cloud cover obscured my view into Desolation from the summit, so I could not see avalanche activity on distant slopes. 

The weather remained windy and showery all day. Temperatures also stayed very cold.