Pyramid Peak

Route- Toured past the bottom of the Tele Bowls from the propane tanks parking on Sherwin Creek Rd, S up Solitude Canyon and to the top of Pyramid Peak. Skied NE aspect of Pyramid and Solitude and then back out the same way. Wanted to see how high N aspects are warming.

No major signs of instability throughout the tour, no new point releases, only small roller balls from my skis by noon. However, snow surfaces are melt-freeze and softening and becoming moist on all aspects up to 11600'.

0830 on a NW aspect at 8200' in the meadow on the approach to Punta Bardini- Foot pen = 1cm, Sky = few breaks between high, hazy clouds (BKN-), Wind = clam, Tair = 6 C, Tsurf = -0.5 C. East aspects are softening already. It was starting to feel hot while skinning.

0930 on a NE aspect at 8600' in the lower half of Solitude Canyon- Foot pen = 1cm, Sky = BKN-, Wind = clam, Tair = 6.5 C, Tsurf = 0 C. N aspects at and below 8600' starting to soften.

1015 at 9860' on a NE aspect in the cirque at the top of Solitude Canyon- Foot pen = 5cm, Sky = BKN-, Wind = light from the S, Tair = 6 C, Tsurf = 0 C. W aspects and shady spots are still hard and frozen.

1045 at 10500' on a NW aspect on the plateau above the canyon and below Pyramid Peak proper- Foot pen = 10cm, Sky = BKN-, Wind = calm with light and variable gusts, Tair = 4, Tsurf = 0 C. Snow surface above 10000' is almost universally melt-freeze crust with small wind drifts of graupel from the quick spring showers on Sunday night. Graupel was moist.

1145 at 11600' on the top of Pyramid Peak, NE facing side of the summit- Foot pen = 10cm, Sky = BKN-, Wind = calm with light gusts, mostly from the S, Tair = 4 C, Tsurf = 0 C. Surface snow is wind blown decomposing fragments on top of melt-freeze crust, becoming moist. Snow was slightly more wintry up there, but still transitioning to wet spring rounds.