Spring Conditions and Wet Snow on Rose Knob Peak

Last night, cooler temperatures and clear skies allowed a ~3-inch thick melt-freeze crust to form on the surface in the Third Creek/Rose Knob area. Below 8000 ft, we punched through the crust into the deep wet snow below it if we stepped off our skis by 10 am. Above 8900 ft, the crust remained firm and supportable, and we used ski crampons on the upper part of the ascent. The crust started to soften as we neared the top, so we decided to pause there to look around, have a snack, and wait for softer melt-freeze snow. Strong SW winds buffeted the upper ridge and summit so we did not wait long. At the top of the peak, we saw debris from recent cornice collapses along nearby ridges.

We started down just after 11 am. By then, about an inch of soft wet snow had formed on the still-supportable crust. We could feel the soft wet layer getting deeper and the supportable frozen layer weakening as we descended. The crust had melted enough for our skis to sink through it by 11:20 am at 8200 ft. on E and SE aspects. So we stopped there and switched to lower-angle slopes without steep terrain above them for the rest of the descent. By noon ski cuts on small E-facing test slopes produced small sluffs of wet loose snow.