We attempted the NE Ridge of Victoria North yesterday. I have included several photos of local conditions.

Snow-free bivy sites are available although the upper sites require one to melt snow for water.

Even with no overnight freeze snow travel was good to excellent on the glacier with well-bridged crevasses. We were able to easily take the short cut below Collier to get to the slopes below the col.

Once above the schrund things changed dramatically and we soon found ourselves in wet snow that was nearly knee-deep. Where the snowpack was thinner over rock slabs it was punchy, although the thicker areas had a more consistent feel. Travel was safe enough when we were there at 4 am, but we had concerns that snow stability would deteriorate rapidly in the morning, and gathering clouds reinforced our decision to turn around. It started raining when we reached camp at 6 am, and there were heavy showers for about 3 hours before it began clearing.

As always, and especially at this time of year, snow conditions are reliant on a complex interplay of elevation, aspect, ground cover, snowpack depth, slope angle, weather, and time of day.