Wet Snow Down Low - Dense Snow Up High

Light rain was falling as we parked at the base of Rubicon (6250 feet). We skinned through rain-soaked snow and heavy wet snow until we reached about 7000 feet. Widespread runnels existed in the snow below 6700 feet, indicating water draining through the snowpack. Ski kicks on steep test slopes below 7000 feet produced rollerballs and large pinwheels. 

Once we reached 7000 feet, the wet snow changed to dense storm snow. Our skis only sank about 2-3 inches into the snow surface. We could see icicles on the trees and feel a rain crust about 18 inches below the surface. We did not notice any cracking around our skis in sheltered areas, and a snowpit at ~8000 ft indicated good bonding within the storm snow and between the thick rain crust and the old snow below it. Strong winds had exposed the rain crust near the summit of Rubicon (9100 ft). 

We also saw more blowing snow near the summit of Rubicon. Dense slabs of wind-blown snow existed on leeward slopes. Ski kicks produced small cracks in some small test slopes and no signs of instability in others. Blowing snow refilled the skin track within an hour. Clouds and blowing snow prevented us from seeing the more exposed and bigger terrain in Desolation Wilderness. Precipitation remained light during our tour.