Blackmore/Alex Lowe obs

I did a loop around Alex Lowe and Blackmore today, and really did not see a whole lot. There was a 5-10mph breeze near ridgelines, and other places were dead calm. This was not the Hyalite I am used to! I noticed a number of small to medium natural sloughs, some of which could have had the power to knock someone over. But overall, I did not see any significant signs of instability. 
I dug a pit at 9400’ on the east face of Alex Lowe, and went down a meter or so. The newest low-density snow was sitting on top of a firm, 5cm crust, which sat over 5-10cm of 4F snow. This crust varied in firmness and depth in different places throughout the day, but I think it would be hard to trigger something through it, for now. Everything I saw below that was a dense (1F), very cohesive slab. An extended column failed at 14 on the 4F/1F interface, but did not propagate. I think this layer could become more reactive if we get heat or more snow, but it seems stubborn for now. It is worth noting that it was about -15F when I dug this. 
At lower elevations, the snowpack is faceted and weak, and I couldn’t step off my skis without sinking almost to the bottom. The skiing was phenomenal!