Quick report
We toured Silver Peak today, ascending the East Ridge and descending the East Bowl. The overnight snow surface refreeze at 7,500' measured 10 inches thick at P hardness. By 11:15, the top 3 inches had melted to 4F hard, the middle 3 inches melted to 1F hard, and the bottom 4 inches still P hard. Descending from the summit at 8,400' summit at 12:10 pm, several hand pits between 8,400' and 7,400' revealed that 1 F hard melt-freeze crust remained just below the top few inches of surface wet snow.
Along the way we traveled some areas of N and NE aspect terrain that received indirect sun. The top 1 inch of the snow surface on these slopes was in melt phase and made for easy travel.
Below 7,000', day to day melt out is rapid with an increasing number of areas of bare ground along the approach via Pole Creek Rd.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 50 deg at 8,400' at noon
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Snow Avail For Transport
- none
Very light NE winds on the summit. Much lighter wind speeds than forecast.