Wet Snow and Variable Weather on Silver Peak

Touring into Silver Peak this morning, we encountered firm frozen snow surfaces with minimal new snow up to about 7000 ft.  At this elevation, about 1 inch of new snow existed on top of a crust and it remained cold and dry on northerly aspects in the morning. By the time we reached 8000 ft. 2 to 3 inches of new snow rested on top of this weekend's snow on top of a thin crust. General observations including ski cuts on test slopes and snowpit tests (ECTN, PST 80/100 end) did not reveal current signs of instability. Temperatures were very close to freezing above 8000 ft. The SW winds were strong enough to move snow and push a person around a bit. No significant wind slabs had formed by 12:00 pm due to the lack of snow available for transport.

As we descended we started triggering small but widespread rollerballs and pinwheels on N and NE and E aspects. By the time we reached 7400 ft, the surfaces that were cold and frozen on the way up had warmed up enough to become wet and sticky on the way out. Light snow started falling above 7000 ft. around 12:00 and it changed to light rain once we dropped below 6800 ft.