Andesite Peak

Seeing the rain turn to snow at the trailhead on Andesite Peak was a pleasent surprise and helped us get a bit less wet while making observations. We found about .5 inches of new snow at 7200 ft, and about an inch near the summit of Andesite at 8200 ft. It did not fully cover any of the previously exposed rocks, logs, or other obstacles, nor was it enough to smooth out the old snow surfaces. Those old snow surfaces felt firm and frozen and remained fully supportable in most places. Some areas on tree-covered slopes had softer less frozen old snow. 

The limited amount of new snow so far also meant that significant wind slabs had not yet developed on the wind-exposed terrain near the summit of Andesite. This could change with more snow and wind. Ski cuts on steep slopes did produce some roller balls and small sluffs as the new snow slid off the old snow surfaces.