Sawatch
AvalancheAnonymous · Apr 16, 2024 · Sawatch
Weather
8 inches of new snow with drifts up to 16 inches thick. Winds seemed to be west-northwest, crossloading northerly slopes and top-loading southerly slopes.
Avalanche
We were ski-cutting steep slopes as avalanches were very predictable in that they would break at our feet and slide on firm old crusts. We had no concern for avalanches stepping down or growing to D2 in size. One skier in our party got too low on a ski cut and a small avalanche broke above, taking the person for a 50 ft ride. The skier was in downhill mode with the toe piece of the binding unlocked and the avalanche didn't knock off their skis.