Mammoth Area- Southerly aspects warming

Ventured onto sunny aspects above the Mammoth Pass area to check on warming trends, if there were any potential loose wet concerns, and to see how the snowpack is holding up. Southerly aspects at 1230pm were well softened at 10600ft, were supportable, and presented forgiving surfaces. Ski penetration was 5-10cm and Boot Pen was about 10-15cm. The top 10cm were already quite wet by 115 and the surface snow is becoming quite representative of advanced melt/freeze conditions with larger rounded surface grains. Below treeline, snow depths average around 90cm. In higher and steeper elevations on sunny aspects it is much thinner except where crossloaded and previously drifted.

At 115pm it was 35F @ 10600ft

AT 145pm it was 41F @ 9395ft

Dug a quick pit at 9395ft on a SE aspect and found a homogenous snowpack of 85cm, with temperatures nearly uniform throughout at -.2C. The top 10cm were loose and wet and below that it went uniformaly down right side up from 4F-1F-P Hardness. One melt/freeze crust 2cm thick at 10cm below surface. 

CTN on Compression test=no fracture

No concerns with wet loose activity today, minor roller balls in some spots. Snowpack on sunny aspects is consolidating and shrinking rapidly, becoming composed of rounded snow and warm temperatures.

Popped over to a very shaded NW aspect at 9600ft and still found soft wintry conditions with a few panels of thin temperature crust thrown in. 135cm total snow in this area.