April 16
Porter-Alexander basin
Elevations, slope angles and aspects:
6200-10200', angles approaching 40°, north and southeast facing aspects
Avalanche activity:
Limited to new snow sluffing, both natural and ski cut.
Slopes skied:
Cabin run, middle bowl into Alexander basin and the main face on Gobblers.
Snow conditions:
2" at 6200', increased to around 6" at upper elevations. Snow was of moderate density, providing resistance for better skiing. Winds from the northwest scoured windward aspects,
continuing the winter long loading of lee, east facing. Snow was bonded, losing a bit of that during the day, with a good sized and long running sluff ski cut from the top of Alexander basin's middle bowl. That sluff entrained some of the older, still damp crust, and ran slowly for about 800' vertical. There were shallow natural sluffs on northeast and southeast facing.
The new snow settled during the day and was damp at mid and lower elevations in the afternoon.
Weather:
Overcast skies, moderate temperatures and winds from the northwest gusting into the 20mph range along the ridge. Snow flurries at times adding minimal accumulation.
Evaluation:
Cloudy skies kept warming in check. There was some drifting, managed with ski cuts. Instabilities would be from those drifts and from the forecast sunny skies, which will likely produce another round of shallow, new snow, wet activity.
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