Buried surface hoar on Incline Lake Peak

I headed back to Incline Lake Peak today to look for buried surface hoar. Returning to the N ridge where I had observed SH yesterday, I found it again today buried and not collapsed 25 cm (10 inches) below the snow surface at 11:30 am in an area of light wind loading (photo/screenshot of topo map location and pindrop). A testpit using the ECT and PST to target this SH layer produced repeatable ECTN results and PST 20/100 end and PST 32/100 end. I interpreted this to mean that the layer would become more reactive as new snow loading progresses this afternoon and evening.

A second snowpit dug in an open area below treeline on a N aspect at about 9,200' (39.298343, -119.942323) revealed no buried surface hoar. New snow was denser than the old snow below it, creating an upside-down 9cm (4 inch) thick storm slab. This storm slab weakness was not particularly reactive at 10:45 am, but this was still early in the storm cycle. (Snowpilot snowpit visualization website is down. This pit profile will be added later.(Added Dec10))

Driving up the Tahoe side of the Mt. Rose Hwy at 9:00 am put snow level in the area at about 7,800'. Driving back down at 12:30 pm, snow level had fallen to about 6,800'. Snowfall rates were S1 up until midday when rates abruptly increased to S5.