Sawatch
AvalancheColin Mitchell · May 22, 2017 · Aspen
Weather
Bluebird morning, but clouds were moving in by midday. Light northerly winds
Snowpack
2" overnight. This weekend's relatively warm weather formed a 3-5 cm thick crust over last week's snow. Underneath the crust, the snow was still cold, 4F rounds down to the old melt-freeze crust. It will take quite a bit of heat to break down the crust and affect the snow underneath, but until recent snows undergo melt-freeze metamorphism, loose wet slides will remain in the picture. It appears that this may not happen before opening, and there is more snow in the forecast. Slides larger than D1.5 that could reach the road on the west side of the pass remain unlikely due to forecast moderate temperatures, overall low snow coverage in most areas, and the terrain configuration in the areas with deeper snow.
Avalanche
Some small loose wet slides and lots of rollerballs came out of rocky areas on steep, west-facing, below treeline slopes over the weekend, otherwise, no new activity noted.