Hunting for....?

Toured to 7400' in the Flathead Range to assess early season snowpack coverage and do some "hunting"

• < 5000'- variable snow coverage, 4-8" -- a solid rain crust (~10/13) exists underneath recent snowfall creating a decent base for skinning
• 5000'-6000'- 12-18" snow -- 10/13 rain crust present ~10" down, crust was supportable, bridging "brush wells", making life easy
• 6000-7400'- 18-40" snow -- windboard on ridgetops, typical cornice development along ridgeline, 10/13 rain crust still present to at least 7200'
• Snow was in good shape above 6500' for skiing, light and dry in sheltered terrain
• The ~10/13 rain crust was present at all elevations and aspects on our tour. A few quick hand pits around 7000' revealed the stout (2.5" thick), knife hard crust capped by 12-16" of recent snow, faceting snow grains atop said crust, didn't investigate underneath 
• Some wind slab development along ridgline (leeward) that yielded shooting cracks; like noted in previous obs
• On our exit, conservative skiing was required below 6000' as coverage wained. I eventually took my skis off around 5000'