Mt. Adams: South Side

The upper snowpack is feeling the heat on the south side of Adams. I didn't see much for natural or triggered wet-loose activity, but the upper snowpack hasn't quite transitioned into a solid melt-freeze cycle yet either. Unstable test results, along with recent slab avalanches from this past week, are a reminder of that. We'll need a good refreeze to lock up the upper snowpack and improve riding and climbing conditions.

Any instability was confined to steeper sun-exposed slopes with wet snow.

Overall, it seemed like wetting has occurred on all aspects I traveled on below 7300' on the south side of Adams. Even on shadier moraines in the middle elevations, the upper snowpack above the prominent crust has been wetted by recent melt, with water percolating to the crust. One shadier location on a ENE @ 5900', I did receive some notable results on the late March crust snowpack tests  ( ECTP 13, 40 cm below surface/ CTM SC, 40 cm below surface on MFcr). 

 Despite such warm temps, there was a minor refreeze above 6000' along more shaded features and on west aspects during the morning hours. East aspects cooked early, providing grabby, mushy travel by mid-morning. While east aspects felt pretty wet, the stout 3/25 crust kept me from sinking much past my boot-top, even on steep south aspects, which may contribute to the lack of recent avalanche activity seen on this side of Adams. In general, this area typically has anywhere from 25-35 cm over the widespread rock-hard 3/25 crust, with a bit more in previously drifted terrain.