Sawatch

Avalanche

Nathanial Goodman · May 8, 2016

Weather

Clear night from at least 2100 on the 6th to 0530 on the 7th. Sub tropical temperatures and T-Shirt Skinning even at 0500. Clouds started rolling in around 0530 first snow showers started around 0800. Weather was in and out with L winds and M. Gusts up 25-30mph. S1 maintained consistently around 1030. Thunder and S2-3 around 1200

Snowpack

TL Above 11.6 remained bullet proof all day. Semi - winter snowpack persists on W-N-E aspects Ridges are scoured. More or less all slopes with mentioned orientation above 12.5 exhibit: 5-10cm MFcr 10 cm P 2-3cm 4F 30-40cm 1F+ to P snow 2cm MFcr Didn't dig deeper. Selected protected areas on N aspects from 14.3 to 13.7 have about 20cm of wind packed powder. with a thin 1cm 1F wind crust on top. The virgin less protected snow, and virgin snow (old storm snow) between 13.7 and 12K is temperature affected even on N. aspects, or has been wet slid out. No thaw on N. aspects. Old wet loose debris and roller balls on very hard, and minimal.

Avalanche

Previous Wet Loose Activity.