Breakable Rain Crust on Donner Ridge

Light rain and wet snow greeted us as we started skinning up Sunrise Bowl this afternoon. It rained all the way up to the summit of Donner Ridge (~7600 ft). The rain continued off and on until about 2pm. At this point skies started to clear and temperatures started to cool. By the time we descended the wet snow had refrozen into a breakable rain crust at all elevations.

Along the ridge, strong southwest winds made it hard to hear each other and were blowing pine needles around, but none of the rain soaked snow was being transported. Ski kicks on previously wind loaded test slopes did not produce any signs of instability.