Weather
A low pressure system passing by to the south should bring some clouds to our area today. Look for partly sunny skies, light NW winds, and high temps near 30°F. Tuesday looks sunny and about 10 degrees warmer. Look for clear days, steadily warming temperatures, and solid overnight freezes through the remainder of the week.
General Conditions
Truth be told it's not that good up there, but with the coming weather pattern we could see corn snow developing on mid and low elevation, southerly aspects by about Wednesday. Wind and dust over the weekend did a number on the snow surface which, for the most part, consists of a variety of crusts, and textured or hard surfaces. In our travels through the high cirques of Gold Basin yesterday, we did our best to find what looked like decent skiing. An inch or so of new snow Saturday night blew into a few areas, covering up the dust, and making for some okay turning.
It's not as good as it looks, and you have to really hunt to find conditions like this.
Conditions on Mount Tukuhnikivatz or Tuk (pronounced touque). Many folks this time of year set their sites on this iconic mountain. If you are set on going up, be prepared for challenging conditions including firm snow, breakable crusts, and possibly some isolated, shallow, stiff wind slabs. Ski crampons will be helpful on the skin up, and carrying a tool for self arrest is recommended.
You can see from the photo above that it's pretty wind affected up there. An ascent and descent of Tuk right now will definitely build character. It's not an easy undertaking in these conditions. And although the snowpack is mostly stable, even a small triggered wind slab up there could sweep you off your feet and take you for a gnarly ride.
Snowpack and Weather Data
