Snowpit between Tamarack Peak and Mt. Houghton

Toured from the Mt Rose parking lot towards Mt Houghton. Stayed mostly in the treeline area. Boot pen was relatively shallow in multiple spots, just getting to the top of my boot. Started late and dug my snowpit around 1430. By that time the snow was getting sticky and heavy from the sun exposure. I didn't experience whumps, shooting cracks, or any other signs of instability, but I stayed in terrain that was much less than 30 degrees. The snowpit I dug was on a 25-degree south-facing aspect, and 75 cm deep. The Dec 11 facet layer was very prominent, sugary, buried under about 35 cm of snow, and didn't show any signs of rounding. I did not have a snow saw so was unable to complete a compression test.