I taught at the Lolo Pass visitor center in today's beautiful sunning weather. I had time to tour out and dig a pit on the snowshoe trail on a west-facing slope at 5400ft. I found widespread surface hoar on all aspects. Tests show a stable snowpack, the top 5 inches (12cm) is showing signs of faceting but is not a concern for the time being.
ECT-X, CT1 SC 13cm down on near-surface facets