Weakening Facets on Relay Peak

4 to 6 inches of new snow fell during the night in the Relay Peak area. In some areas, this new snow seemed to be resting on top of a patchy surface hoar layer, and in others, I did not find evidence of the buried surface hoar layer. Even in the areas where I was able to find evidence of a buried surface hoar layer, snowpit tests on that layer and observations of the snow grains under a hand lens indicated that the surface hoar had already collapsed. Deeper in the snowpack below this week's new snow a layer of facets still exists. Tests targeting this facet layer indicated that in areas where it exists fractures can travel along this layer if it breaks. Probing, hand pits, and snowpits revealed this facet layer on N facing slopes above 9200 ft in the Relay Peak area. Some small wind features like small wind pillow and small wind lips or cornices had formed near some of the wind loaded ridgelines. Some wind transport continued to occur this afternoon and enough soft snow remained on the leeward slopes for continued wind transport if the winds remain strong enough to transport snow. 

Overall early season conditions still exist in this area, but reasonable snow coverage does exist on many slopes in the Relay Peak area above 8600 ft.