Sawatch
AvalancheKreston Rohrig · Apr 14, 2018 · Sawatch
Weather
Sunny day with a few scattered clouds. Ridgetop winds were moderate to strong from the west.
Snowpack
In sheltered areas below treeline, the snow surface was warm trending to moist. 1-2" of new snow was observed with drifted areas showing depths of 6-8". At higher elevations the snowpack has been heavily affected by the wind. Scoured to drifted snow surfaces were observed with leeward slopes accumulating dense slabs up to 2 feet thick. These slabs were well bonded to the surfaces below and showed now signs of instability. The most unfortunate observation is the continuous dust layer that coated the old snow surface before this last storm. A rapid melt down is imminent once this layer is exposed to the sun.
Avalanche
One recent cornice fall avalanche was observed in the Mountain Boy Basin. Otherwise the other avalanches recorded were from the 4/8 storm and were not previously documented.