Decent refreeze on open slopes in Upper Ward Canyon/Twin Peaks.

We toured Twin Peaks this morning on a decent refreeze. We started out from the end of Ward Canyon Rd at 8:45 am. There was a strong P to K hard refreeze of the upper snowpack on open slopes and a much weaker refreeze under forest canopy. With progressively higher sun angles occurring, the NNE-NE aspect terrain in this area is getting less shadowed and is experiencing more melt-freeze.

On the approach, we passed through areas of well established melt-freeze on sun exposed, moderately steep NE-NNE aspects. Once on true N aspects or in heavily shaded NE aspects, the upper snowpack was a mix of either still transitional with a thin breakable melt-freeze crust over drier snow that had yet to undergo melt or very firm and supportable melt-freeze that warranted ski crampons.

Below the cornice area immediately NW of the summit of Twin Peaks, we saw some wet loose debris from a size D1.5 avalanche on NE aspect terrain, possibly triggered by cornice fall. This debris appeared to be 1-2 days old.

Descending at 10:45 am on open, fully sun exposed NNE aspect terrain in the avalanche path below Twin Peak there were about 2 inches of surface wet snow over supportable melt-freeze conditions. Supportable conditions continued for our exit from the area across NE-E-SE aspects down to our low point of travel at 7,100' prior to finishing our tour at 11:45 am.