January 26, 2007, SF Snoqualmie Headwaters

      An intrepid eight (six humans, two canines) braved snowshoers, occasionally crusty snow, and incipient snowfall for an unfortunately short ski tour today. After an ill-fated but enjoyable trip up a W facing chute (crusty up top, occasionally powdery smiles below), four of us succumbed to a binding malfunction, a little boot trouble, a bloody paw, and a master headed downhill. The remaining fortunate four sampled a little bit of cut up and slightly consolidated E facing snow above Source Lake before rejoining our remaining comfortable comrade at the parking lot.

      It snowed more than a little on the way home.

      Nothing that I'm aware of displayed any appreciable instability throughout our tour. The bond betwixt the powder and the old crust was middling to good most everywhere. Surface hoar to more than 1/4" not far from the Alpy parking lot near the river bottom.  Unsheltered areas tended to be crusty.