Sawatch
AvalancheAnonymous · May 9, 2021 · Sawatch
Weather
Clear skies gave way to high clouds by 10 AM. Observed thicker cumulus clouds banked up, from the east, to the crest of the Mosquito Range. Not much wind with just some slight wind drifting above treeline.
Snowpack
Less than an inch of snow with drifts of around 6 inches near ridgetop. No signs of instability in these small drifts. I skied east-facing above treeline at around 10 AM and the new snow was not rollerballing and was barely moist. Climbing up northeast-facing prior, the new snow was cold, dry snow. The crusts underneath the new snow were firm but while bootpacking, the crust was soft enough to kick a boot into. Overall...not much going on.
Avalanche
Not much avalanche activity observed except for some shedding of new snow likely from last Thursday. A few small avalanches were observed off of Mt Elbert in Box Creek chutes. I am guessing they were loose wet but unsure.