Thin and weak at the Throne

Snowcover on the road is significantly worse than our last visit 10 days ago. Many bare patches on the way in and more by the time we were heading out. Overheated the sleds many times. Would recommend avoiding until it snows again. Parked at the motorized boundary and climbed and descended the east face.

There was a recent avalanche low on the east face. It appeared to have broken naturally during the downhill wind event on Monday. A 6-8" deep wind slab broke over facets approximately 100 ft wide and ran 100 vertical feet. 

Climbed above the slide and dug a bit higher on of the east face (8000 ft). The slab had broken down a bit over the last week and would no longer propagate in an Extended Column Test (ECTN14 beneath the highest melt-freeze crust and ECTX on the facets lower down). 

Areas that still have a substantial slab over the ubiquitous weak layers are of the most concern. Look and feel for this cohesive slab before committing to steep terrain.