Tamarack Peak

Although the temperature at the nearby Mt Rose snotel reported 24 degrees, it felt much warmer when we started our tour due to strong April sun.   Snow surfaces felt cold in the morning, however solar aspects warmed quickly, and we started to have some glopping on our skins and observe wet surface snow around trees.  N aspects remained colder and a few NE aspects had a very thin surface crust.  We observed a few small wind slabs, one on the E ridge of Tamarack that may have been human triggered or from a cornice fall.   A ski cut on a steep slope N aspect with wind loading near the top released a very small pocket of snow that did not travel far or entrain snow on the slope below.   Most snow surfaces in this area were F hard and we found only isolated evidence of wind transport.   As the day warmed ,we also observed roller balls that travelled quite far from a skin track up the steep E aspect terrain of Hourglass bowl.   The snow surface on all but N aspects started to feel heavy by midday and we headed to the car.   Lower elevation areas with previous bare ground were starting to melt out and there are some signifant creek holes developing.    

Observed a small avalanche in a wind loaded area off the E ridge of Tamarack.