Quick report
Goals for today were to assess coverage and access in Buttermilk country, monitor surface freeze and softening, and maybe get a better look at a wet loose avalanche on Mt Humphreys from 3/26.
You can drive as far as you dare on the Buttermilks road, with no snow or major obstacles typical for this time of year. Below 9500 ft, snow cover is patchy and requires some walking and creative route finding. Above this elevation, snow is easier to connect, but still melting fast.
Snow surfaces saw an adequate freeze overnight, and it seems that some high clouds and light winds helped to keep things from getting too soft, too quick. Skiing was still supportable on norths and easts down to 9500 ft at 130 pm.
The recent avalanche on Humphreys looks like another rockfall that subsequently triggered a large wet loose avalanche. I tried to get some closer photos but the light was pretty flat.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 40s and 50s
- Cloud Cover
- scattered
- Recent Snowfall
- None
Warm, partly cloudy and light southwest winds.
Snowpack
We found a few pockets of firm, cold snow on the most protected norths above 11000 ft.
Otherwise, the snowpack in this area was made up entirely of melt forms.
Useable snowpack in this region is mostly limited to north and east aspects, except for in the most favored terrain features elsewhere.
We encountered no signs of instability throughout our tour.