Corn Snow on Mt. Houghton

The snow keeps melting. Large areas of bare ground have melted out on most of the SE-S-SW aspects in the Mt. Rose area. A few of the SE and S-facing gullies that get cross-loaded during the winter storms still have snow in them. However, those corridors of snow are getting narrower. The N-NE-E aspects still have decent snow coverage on Relay Peak and Mt. Houghton. Last night's refreeze remained supportable on the N and NE aspects through the afternoon. Several inches of wet snow formed on the sunnier E-SE-S-SW facing slopes by noon. On the SE-S-SW aspects, this wet snow only measured 2-4 inches deep, and the snow below it remained supportable until I departed the area around 2 pm. The E aspects held deeper wet snow that became unsupportable by noon. I would sink into my knee in wet snow in some places on E aspects. I avoided steep E-facing slopes and stayed on slopes where the snow remained more supportable.