Surprising storm slab results on Vaught

Day off tour to Mt Vaught in GNP: 

• We chose a route that maximized concave and deep, uniform snowpack to manage the PS problem and found no signs of instability. We noted 2 thick persistent slab avalanches, D2 - D3, that ran sometime in the past week. These were on high elevation, westerly aspects.
• We noted several storm slab avalanches about a foot deep that likely ran at the end of Wednesday’s storm at high elevations. We were surprised to find propagating results while testing the slabs near a crown line. Failure occurred on small grained facets that likely formed during the one clear day last weekend. Because if this, we aborted our planned descent route which included high consequence terrain, and opted for smaller pitches or bed surfaces. 
• Snow surfaces are concerning for future storms: Breakable rain crust with a thin layer of rimed new snow needles up to the fog line (5500’) Surface hoar on shadier aspects around 6000’.  Small grained facets or sun crusts above that.