Transition from recent storm snow to wet snow on Steven's Peak

Went for a late morning tour on Steven's Peak to assess snow surface melt and the transition from recent storm snow to diurnal melt-freeze on solar aspects. On the E and SE aspects traveled, areas below about 8,500' had undergone some previous melt at the snow surface but there was still about an inch of recent storm snow separating the surface layer from older previously established melt-freeze snow below it. This upper snowpack layer in the 7,500' to 8,500' elevation range showed signs that it might assimilate with the older melt-freeze layer below it upon refreezing tonight.

Above about 8,800' the snow surface was entering into its first melt phase today on solar aspects. At all elevations, surface snow was supportable for an 11:30-noon descent but was still in a transitional state from recent storm snow to established melt-freeze.

Poking onto some N aspect gully walls a little before noon at about 8,000', the surface snow had entered its first melt phase. Both here and nearby on an E aspect it was easy to trigger roller balls and pinwheels. The surface snow on the N aspect gully wall as well as the transitional snow on the E-SE aspects traveled was getting ripe for human triggered wet loose avalanches in steeper terrain.