Rabbit Gulch

A thin melt-freeze surface crust was found on all aspects, all the way up to 6700'. I measured about 6cm of recent snow sitting on top of the buried surface hoar. While this isn't enough snow or enough of a slab to create an avalanche problem now in the Silver Valley-Bitterroots, it was enough to help cap and preserve the weak surfaces that developed during the extended period of cold and dry weather in January. 

None observed.

Snow coverage is rough below tree line and the lower end of the middle elevation band. On southern-facing aspects, bare ground patches are growing, and there are plenty of natural obstacles to avoid.  

I spent the majority of the day on south-west facing slopes. At 6200', the buried surface hoar was easy to find, sitting on a 1F hard crust buried under about 6cm of snow. While it looks like sunshine and wind helped shrink the feathers on solar aspects, it did not eliminate the problem, and the bruied surface hoar averaged about 3-10mm. I topped out at 6700' and found this same structure all the way to the top. I dug directly on the other side of the ridge at that same elevation on a NE aspect and could also easily find the buried surface hoar, though the feathers were larger (avg 10mm in size). Below the crust that the surface hoar was buried on, the thick facet layer that developed from over 2 weeks of cold and dry weather in January was still mostly dry and F-4F hardness. 

A surface crust was widespread from the valley to the peak at 6700'. Below tree line this crust was very brittle and broke down by the end of the day. Near tree line, this crust was about 1cm thick and 1F-. At upper elevations, the surface crust was slightly thinner but P-. Since freezing levels in the previous day extended above the highest peaks in the Silver Valley-Bitterroots, the surface crust capped all the terrain above tree line- all aspects and all terrain features. There was no snow available for transport.