Variable Conditions in the Mt. Rose Backcountry

Today, we traveled through several elevations and aspects looking for buried weak snow (facets) on the north aspects and wet snow on sunny slopes. We started on Relay Peak and then moved over to Tamarack Peak. In both places, we used hand pits, test pits, and pole probes to assess the weak snow buried on northerly aspects. We found signs that the weak snow continues to gain strength and consolidate in most places. It was still soft and weak in one pocket of shade on a north aspect. We did not see any signs of instability associated with this layer. Above this layer, cold dry snow still existed on the sheltered N-facing slopes of Tamarack Peak and Relay Peak. In more exposed areas near ridges, the NE winds had scoured the soft snow away and exposed firm wind-sculpted surfaces.
 
The sunny E-SE-S-SW aspects held more spring-like snow conditions. Their surfaces were firm in the morning but softened quickly as the day warmed up. Sun-exposed slopes had wet snow on them by 10 am. This wet snow remained in a transitional state somewhere between cold snow and corn snow on E aspects. More consistent corn snow existed on the SE-S-SW facing slopes that have experienced more pronounced melt-freeze cycles. We triggered a few rollerballs and pinwheels on a SE facing test slope at about 9700 ft around noon. While the snow conditions were more consistent on these sunny southerly aspects, the snow coverage was not. Large areas of bare ground existed on the sunny southerly-facing slopes.