Stormy Rescue Practice

First field day of the season for the North Rockies Field Team! We focused mostly on updating our rescue and transceiver search skills today, but still got out for some quick observations on Mt.Lucille. It was VERY windy this morning with strong southerly winds building cornices and likely creating new windslabs in the alpine and treeline. In the afternoon it started to precipitate (rain below 1350m, snow above that elevation). At 1300m we found 65cm of total snow. The air temperature was 3C and the top 2cm of the snowpack were wet from rain and warm temps with moist snow below - which was good as it appeared to be melting some large surface hoar crystals which grew over the last few days. Hopefully now they are melting they won't be an issue when they are buried later.