Sun Affect on Mount Rose

I toured in the Mount Rose area today, and found that rain had affected the snow up to around 8000 feet. Already by 11 am, S and SE slopes were rapidly warming under sunny blue skies and above freezing temperatures.

North facing slopes above 8000 feet held ~105 cm of snow. The top 10 cm were F hardness, and the rest measured 4F>1F, getting harder deeper in the snowpack. A few shallow wind slabs (~5cm thick) were noted, though they were soft and non reactive.

Upon exiting, south facing slopes continued to get more sun affected, with one pitch I skied (~25 degrees) containing upwards of 20cm of wet, saturated snow. Roller balls were present in steeper areas, especially where snow had been shed by trees. (See Pic)