Mount Axtel & pavent obs from Mount Crested Butte

Our goal was to ascend Mount Axtell to assess wet-snow problems on easterly and northerly terrain near treeline, but the conditions forced us to bail.  The thin, punchy snowpack and down trees made descending an unpleasant experience.  The snowpack on an easterly slope at 11,000 feet felt like easy-to-trigger wet loose conditions.  Natural avalanche activity appeared to decline dramatically today, but human-triggered wet avalanches remained on the menu.

We largely traveled through forested northerly terrain and found a snowpack that had transitioned past wet slab avalanche concerns.  Even though the freeze was mediocre, the shadiness prevented any loose avalanche concerns.  Around 11,000 feet, we found a small open easterly slope, and it was easy to initiate a loose avalanche.  This terrain features quickly funneled into northerly, gladed terrain, so it wasn't able to produce a significant slide.  I suspect that if the terrain remained open, without shade, it would have produced a nasty loose avalanche.