Snow conditions near Relay Peak

Most aspects had a melt-freeze crust on the snow surface up to 9000'. On the shaded northerly aspects up to 9000' the surface remained frozen and hard. On the more E-SE-S-SW aspects the snow surface softened very quicklly with 2-4 inches of soft, wet, melt-freeze snow forming on these aspects up to 10,000' by 11am. Below this wet snow a supportable melt-freeze crust existed. Below 9000' on these southerly aspects the melt-freeze crust was not as thick and looked like it had undergone less of a refreeze last night. On the due north facing aspects above 9000' cold, dry, wind-buffed snow existed on the snow surface. Ski cuts, pole probes, and some quick hand tests on sun-exposed southerly aspects and on the colder northerly aspects did not show any signs of instability in the snowpack before 11 am. Instability is expected to increase as more warming and melting occurs during the day today.