Misery Basin

Rain (RL) late morning; changed to snow about 4500 feet. Rain line crept higher through the afternoon. Mild temps - 32* at 6200' early afternoon. Snowed most of day - S1 - with increasing intensity - S2 - as day progressed or at higher elevations. HN24 4" by mid afternoon. Winds intermittent and variable - NW, SW moderate with some strong gusts. Drifting some snow in basin (filling skin track). Test profile at 6200' WSW: HS 101, mostly 4F hardness small rounds with several old graupel layers that were unreactive. Tests did show thin weak layer 26 cm below surface - possibly buried surface hoar or near surface facets. Reactive in tests: ECTP15, CTM 13 SP. Did not propagate in PST (SF 36/115 down 26.). Despite test results, no cracking or whumpfing while traveling in undisturbed snow. On northeasterly slope at ~5300', layers softer, with thin crust under new snow (12/17 interface) and deeper, with soft (fist hard) snow in between. All moist. A few rollerballs from snow dropping out of trees but nothing entrained. Where snow as wet at low elevations, not enough for loose wet slides.