Yes, we're still talking about the backcountry skiing conditions in Tahoe!  It sounds ludicrous to be posting a conditions report on Memorial day, but all in all there were some good turns to had out there!

First, let's talk about freezing.  We set out on skis at 8am this morning and were pleasantly surprised by how good the freeze was at the Tamarac trailhead.  At 8 there was a skiff of softened snow on the surface, but it was supportable to boots, even with hard stomping.  This made for ideal skinning conditions, even with the sun-cupped surface that plagued most of the terrain.

 

Now let's talk about the sun-cups.  They were real!  But mostly they were small, 12" diameter cups and they were far more manageable than expected.  There were places that were much smoother than others, like the east facing side of the Hourglass. The east facing terrain was far smoother and less sun-cupped than the main Hourglass line and was skiing really well.

We skied the west side of the bowl that gets the most light from the east, enjoying smooth turns with good glide for most of the run.  About 2/3 of the way down, the snow got noticeably softer and slower, but was still great fun. The skin back to the top of Tamarac was also very pleasant - the soft surface even on due north snow was grippy and supportable under our skins and made for enjoyable uphill travel.

After our lap down Hourglass, we opted to escape the incoming thunder clouds and make our way back to the cars via Proletariat Bowl.  The bowl was warmer and skied significantly slower than the more-favorably tilted Hourglass bowl but was still not bad considering that it is Memorial Day! 

Below Proletariat, the skiing is fairly rough and didn't offer much in the way of smooth turns.  The sun cups on this flatter terrain hadn't softened as much and were a bit rough on the knees.

All in all, Mt Rose is still worth a few more turns if you're not ready to trade in your skis for a bike or climbing shoes just yet!  Keep tabs on the freezing levels and look for clear skies at night to get a good freeze on the snow.  Enjoy!