Sunshine and surface hoar

• Toured up the SW ridge of Running Rabbit Mtn. to the weather station at 6400 feet and then continued up to the south summit and the upper starting zone of Path 1163 at 7200 feet.
• Descended Shed 11 path. 

Objectives were to:

• Fix the wind sensor on the weather station.
• Observe changes to the snow surface as our weather transitions to clear cold nights coupled with sunny days and warming temperatures.
• Look for any recent avalanche activity.

• A few rollerballs and some limited wet loose avalanche activity began around late-morning on sunny aspects. A handful of D1 wet loose observed, mostly below 6000 feet and limited to steep slopes with exposed rock.
• A very thin sun crust on the snow surface that formed yesterday/night before seems to have inhibited loose snow avalanche activity today.
• No slab avalanches or any new cornice falls observed.
• No wind-loading occurring throughout the day.
• We now have a new crop of surface hoar. It was most pronounced starting at about 5000 feet and extended up to my high point at 7200 feet (photo). Crystals were wilting and melting on sunny aspects but staying preserved in the shade.
• Moist snow surface on sunny aspects at all elevations. Shady aspects kept cold and dry snow.
• Old wind slabs were unreactive to ski cuts/stomps, but was able to initiate some D1 wet loose on steep, sunbaked slopes with ski cuts in the afternoon.
• Mostly clear skies with no precipitation and excellent visibility at all elevations.
• Calm or light west winds at all elevations.
• Air temperatures were cold and inverted in the morning with sub-zero °F values on the Canyon floor and ranging from 5-10 °F above 6000 feet.
• Afternoon highs reached the high-20s to low-30s °F on the Canyon floor and into the mid-teens to low-20s °F above 6000 feet. But all that sunshine made it feel much warmer.