The Nipple

I spent the afternoon looking for surface hoar along the E side of The Nipple. I rode as close as I was comfortable to several avalanche paths to see if previous surface hoar had survived yesterday's winds. From a distance, everything near and above treeline had enough wind texture to imply that surface hoar had been destroyed. However, up close it became clear that new and small surface hoar grew on top of yesterday's wind texture. New, small but intact surface hoar was seen on N, NE, and E aspects from my low point of 7500ft to my high point of 8600ft. Slopes with dense tree cover did not have surface hoar. Many cold slopes also had a thin layer of early stage facets on the surface. These were also under a thin rain crust where that had been exposed by winds.