Researchers Ian McCammon and Sara Boilen are developing new tools for managing human factors for backcountry skiers and boarders. This survey asks about personal experiences with human factors and will take 7 - 8 minutes to fill out. Link is HERE.
Nowcast - Since the start of this storm, the range received 6-12" of snow with over 1" of SWE, one of the bigger storms we have received this season. Right now, winds blowing from the southwest crank out 30 MPH averages gusting into the 50's. Temperatures are mild, in the 20's°F at 10,000' but reporting much warmer down low at trailheads, closer to 35°F.
Forecast - For today, expect an additional 3-6" of dense snow to stack up by the late afternoon. Winds continue to rip across the range blowing n the 30's and 40's with gusts approaching 60 MPH. Temperatures cool throughout the day into overnight and we will see freezing levels reach the valley by tomorrow.
Futurecast - Once this storms rounds out and exits town Friday, we are back up and running with high-pressure into next week.
Travel Conditions - I wouldn't go as far as to say we are back yet, but conditions are improving! A nice round of dense snow has certainly improved conditions. Skiing and riding is best on the north half of the compass, where old supportable snow prevents us from hitting escaped rocks, shrubs, and exposed terrestrial features from the melt-out. On the sunnies, many slopes were patchy and bare up to 10,000' prior to this storm, and leave little chance for potential riding. Smooth, moderate slope angles are the ticket whether you are on the the sticks or the rig. 
Bottom-feeding was the name of the game yesterday and dense surf in the soup-bowl was better than no soup at all! Check-out more from our travel ob, found here!
No new avalanche activity has been reported from across the range in the past 24 hours.
Storm snow had more slouch than snap yesterday, but as it continues to stack up today keep an eye on its behavior and interactions with the old snow surfaces.
