Snowpit and Surface Hoar comments from Incline Peak

We toured up the E aspect of Incline Peak following the general path of the summer trail most of the way before splitting from it around 8,900 to head straight to the summit The day started calm but by the time we reached the top, wind was picking up and clouds were moving in. Many ski tracks covered the mountain, including in over 30 degree areas with no observed avalanches. Surface hoar from .5-1.5 cm was observed the majority of the trip to the top, with smaller crystals found at low elevation in sun affected areas and larger crystals on upper, wind protected areas. Very little was found in areas affected by wind. Snow was still clinging to branches and no obvious signs of substantial wind transport below treeline was observed. We dug a pit about a quarter of the way up to the summit on a NE aspect in an open stand of trees where falling snow was not a factor. Our ECT had results in the upper part of the snowpack but no reactivity in the November facet layer. Our PST was much more fun, with a clean fracture the length of the column. After the test, we pulled the slab off and it slid as a cohesive unit on to the ground. Confirming our concerns, we stayed on sub-30 degree slopes in the trees for both the ascent and descent.