Skiing for love in all the wrong places

I explored the drainage named after George Snyder, who built a two-story hotel in 1895 at the site of what is now the Lake McDonald Lodge.

• Paltry overnight snow totals of 1" at the trailhead (3200') and 3" at Snyder Lake (5200').
• Thursday's sunshine left a sun crust up to 1" thick on exposed southerly aspects to my high point of 5200'. Cold dry snow remains on shaded slopes.
• Recent southwest winds formed a 4F- wind slab on exposed terrain adjacent to the trail above 5000'. Minor cracking underfoot was experienced.
• I was the sole user in this area today.