Observed some small roller balls coming off near trees, alders, and a skin track on terrain approx. 35 degrees in the afternoon sun. When dragging pole through moistened surface snow it could clump and drag in a more cohesive unit along the top 2 inches.
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Treeline between Little Switzerland and Gods Country
Short tour up the powerline, through the trees, popping up above treeline on a warm sunny day. Noticeable solar affect on the snow on SE aspects above treeline.
Observer Comments
Weather
Warm spring time sunshine! A few small isolated clouds. Calm wind.
Snow surface
Settled powder found in some shaded aspects below treeline that were not affected by moist snow rolling off trees warmed in the sun. 1-2 mm surface hour found below treeline. Moist snow in sun affected areas above treeline. The previously solar warmed areas that had become shaded in the afternoon had developed a 2 inch breakable melt-freeze crust. Ski tracks down steep slopes had decent (~5 ft long) sluffing coming off each turn.
Snowpack
Pole probed often along route, which revealed two melt freeze crusts. The top crust was very stout and difficult to penetrate or saw through for hand pits. First hand pit in a sunny alder path out of the trees failed on buried surface hour that was hard to get to go, requiring both hands. BSH was approx 1.5 ft down and appeared to be metamorphisizing via melt freeze or rounding. The BSH was approx. 1/2 inch long, standing intact, and looked to have melted along the edges.
BSH metamorphisizing via melt freeze or rounding that was found in hand pit
BSH
_SSC0118
_SSC0117