The Jewel Glacier was surprisingly good on Friday morning. 12-18" of fresh blanketed the upper glacier and summit zone (4,800') with continuous skiing down to 3,900'. There was a crust, but after shaking off the rust, that mean-old crust didn't seem that bad. The Jewel is split into 2 halves these days and I worked the high rollover on the skiers' left.
The Rollover
Milk Glacier from Mountain Jewel
The Snowbird does not have the coverage that the Jewel is enjoying, not by a long shot. The Snowbird is currently boasting trace to 1" of new. And that 1" is very angry. Actually above 5,500' there is some old snow below the angry inch, which made for a pleasurable turning experience.
On a positive note: the new Snowbird is complete and it is sweet. 10 folk shared the hut Saturday night and there was ample bunk space and a seat at the table for all. The heater runs on diesel so be sure to bring some fuel for a toasty night. Heather hiked in some fuel in an old gallon white gas jug.
The former "Nunatak" from the Hut
Bill Crawling towards the Deep
