Surface Hoar and Facets on Silver Peak

We returned to Silver Peak today to see how the snow has changed since last week. We saw widespread surface hoar in open areas in the morning. We also noticed that the snowpack has gotten weaker and less cohesive in the last 7 days. The long, cold, clear nights have allowed the snow to become more sugary (faceted). The bottom third of the snowpack remains supportable. For now, the weak snow in the top of the snowpack does not present much of a problem since there is not a slab layer above it. The current stability permitted us to inspect some of the start zones on Silver Peak. We found similar snowpack structure of weak snow with no slab on top of it. Areas where firm wind-buffed snow had existed near the ridge have also softened a bit. 

We also noticed more rocks, bushes, and other obstacles poking out of the snowpack. We moved cautiously and managed to find areas where the snow remained supportable enough to avoid hitting these obstacles.