We had a fantastic day of riding, especially on steep, north-facing slopes above 8,500 feet. Even though the snow was faceted, it felt like decent powder, and it was surprisingly good conditions for how warm it was (see Pic 1). At the trailhead, it hit 55°F by late afternoon.
As we dropped below 8,500 feet, we noticed the snow starting to get wetter. Even on north aspects, things got a bit soggy by the afternoon—especially in the trees. Once you got out into open terrain, it wasn’t quite as sticky. By midday, anything on the south 3/4 of the compass or lower elevation was getting baked. The snow down around 7,000 feet and below was melting out, with dirt patches and puddles along the trail.
We did a few hand pits just to check the snow structure (see pic 2). The whole pack was faceted, but it’s consolidated now. Even 4 days ago it was very loose but now it is firm and all the surface hoar has melted away. We didn’t do formal compression tests, but no obvious weak layers stood out. You could still feel some old rain crusts, but they were well bonded.
Later in the day, on a west-facing slope around 8,500 feet, we kicked off some roller balls, but no actual slides. Overall, it was warm, but we got a great day out, with stable snowpack up high and spring conditions creeping in down low.
