Sawatch
AvalancheBen Pritchett · Apr 25, 2019 · Sawatch
Weather
Very warm day after a poor freeze. Generally 5-10 degrees warmer than the day prior.
Snowpack
Like so many places, with the slow melt this spring the Taylor Park area snowpack is much deeper and stronger than typically for this time of year. Even still, following a poor freeze and with high temperatures into the mid 50's to low 60's near treeline, the snowpack did become weak and collapsible in the afternoon. Waves of collapsing and cracking became commonplace in open meadows where a continuous frozen slab sat over moist or wet depth hoar. Collapsing was much worse in areas with a shallower snowpack (<70-80 cm thick). Below treeline, the snowpack has drained melt-water to the ground in most locations, a good indicator that we're past the worst of the Wet Slab avalanche concerns. Near treeline, sunny slopes have drained into the old weak layers below, where shady northerly slopes are still holding the water in the upper snowpack w/ dry snow below. Above treeline only the most melt-favoring features (thin, rocky and very steep) have drained deeper, most slopes remain dry below. Wet slab avalanches are definitely a concern, but only in steep rocky and thin terrain features. It will take multiple non-freezing nights or a good rain to progress beyond normal afternoon concerns.
Avalanche
Saw numerous previously un-reported avalanches from March.