Wind Slabs on Luther

Visited Powderhouse Peak this morning mostly to check out wind slab on the upper ridge. There were multiple previous skin tracks and downhill tracks that had an inch or less new snow on them in below treeline terrain, but once I got above trees into an area with far more wind effect it was clear that some snow had been moved around overnight. Amounts varied depending on location, but a previous skin track that was about 6 inches deep was nearly obsured by wind drifted snow.

Wind slabs I encountered were relatively small, being broken up by stands of trees, but nearly every slab I skinned accross exibited either cracking or full failure if on steep enough terrain. Nothing propagated down slope beyond the small ridge area test slopes, but given the small extent of the wind impacted snow and the short height of the steeper slopes I wouldn't expect them too in this location.

Below tree line I didn't observe any signs of instability. 

Winds were surprisiingly calm during my time above the trees. 

Photo 1: Following a skin track someone made yesterday and there was only a trace of new snow in the trees.

Photo 2: The same skin track a few hundred feet higher in an above treeline wind loaded zone was nearly obscured by wind transported snow.

Photo 3: I spent a bunch of time looking over my shoulder at the Little Roundtop area for evidence of recent avalanche activity but couldn't see any. 

Photo 4: Lots of evidence of wind slab on the ridge.

Photo 5: The wind loaded slopes in this zone are small but wind slabs were breaking nearly to their full size (albeit fairly small here).

Photo 6: Fridge ish size chunk of cornice easily broke.