Getting out while the getting out is good

In the Fielding area, weather stations showed 8-15 hours of freezing temps by mid-morning. Clear skis also enabled significant radiational cooling.

• On south through west-northwest slopes, we found a very hard but shallow refreeze of the snow surface.
• The snow surface was inconsistently supportable on foot. Even slopes that were icy-hard when sidehilling on skis allowed thigh-deep boot penetration and comic, awkward self-extrication.
• The snow surface was supportable on skis from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, with only occasional trap door patches of mush in forested areas. We were able to skate at 4500 feet at mid-afternoon. 
• The snow surface softened to buttery corn (<3 cm ski pen) on southerly slopes at 7000 feet by early afternoon, but remained hard and icy on southwest-facing slopes and shaded gully walls above about 5200 feet.
• High clouds, easterly winds and cooler temps limited meltwater production on the slopes where we traveled, and we saw no rollerballs or other signs of instability. 
• Significant melting occurred last week, and wind-scoured slopes are now bare.