Sawatch
SnowpackJason Konigsberg · Apr 7, 2020 · Aspen
Weather
Windy and cool above treeline. Warm and calm, but didn't feel too hot, below treeline.
Snowpack
The snow surface got a good freeze last night with many hours of clear sky. Snow surfaces were slick in the morning and just barely softening on southerly above and near treeline around noon. On the skin back up to about 12,800 ft the snow was moist only about 1 or 2 inches down from the surface. No rollerballing or any signs of wet instability observed. Below the moist snow is very hard and thick crusts. The snowpack is still generally wintry and dry on a southerly above treeline slope where I dug. North-facing slopes were also dry near and above treeline. Below treeline the surface softened just a bit. Supportable snowpack all around and currently no concerns for Wet Slab avalanches or Loose Wet avalanches on open slopes. I would use caution in any steep and rocky terrain, this is about the only place to trigger a wet avalanche right now. A cloudy night with above-freezing temperatures would change that and wet avalanches would be more concerning.