Quick report
Surface hoar observed skinning up from the trailhead but was gone around 8500'. Very warm temps were creating moist surface snow on any aspect with even a slight solar tilt. In general, the snowpack on the east face of Maverick was a rapidly warming slab of December snow over a crust/facet sandwich on top of facets on the ground. Snow on east and northeast aspects remained cold until we left early afternoon but any skiing that wrapped around to solar aspects produced small rollerballs and involved some hot pow. Add another crust to the mid and lower elevation solar side snowpack, check.
No collapsing or cracking observed and no active wind transport.
A couple old, small loose dry observed by Peaches on a north aspect. Later in the day 2 new small wet loose were observed originating from a rock band at about 9000', SE aspect.Weather
- Air Temp
- Single digits in the valley, up to 35 degrees at 200
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- none
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Inversion in place. Single digits at the trailhead and 35 degrees by 1pm at 9500. Surprise Meadow weather station (9500') reported 36 degrees at 1pm. No wind.