Variable conditions in Beehive and beyond

We toured into Beehive Basin today and managed to get eyes on aspects throughout Beehive, Bear, and S Fork Spanish Creek Basins. We found excellent turns in spots, variable conditions in others, and a whole lot of rocks still exposed. Gorgeous, clear skies lent themselves to good visibility. Temps were cold at the trailhead but warmed quickly. Winds were predominantly from the South, gusting strong and moving snow around at ridgetops and summits. 

Winds seem have impacted upper elevations; low to mid elevations still held soft snow. Outside of true north-facing aspects, most other aspects have seen some wind effect and were in quite variable condition. In the hand pits I dug on several different aspects, I noted light snow atop either sun crusts or wind-blown layers, all with small but well-developed facets underneath. Gullies hold close to a meter of snow but generally, coverage seemed to be around half a meter in depth. 

Slab formation was limited to upper elevation ridgelines and little pockets in couloirs. Generally very few signs of instability were seen beyond one small (R1 D1) wind slab avalanche that came down from a rocky, exposed part of the ridgeline into Bear Basin. No surface hoar was noted anywhere. All in all, a lovely day to spend in the Spanish Peaks!