April 22
Bowman-Pole canyon-Alexander Basin-Porter fork
Elevations, slope angles and aspects
6200-10400', angles over 35°, north east and west facing aspects
Snow conditions
Snow line was about 7500', no fresh below that elevation.
New snow amounts 2-4", mostly graupel, over a variable base.
Strong west wind during and after yesterday's thunderstorm scoured Gobblers ridge depositing snow into Alexander basin and Butler fork
Off aspects and south facing heated enough to produce some rollers and point release sluffing. North facing remained dry into the afternoon.
Lower elevations were sloppy below about 7000 feet on the exit.
Weather
Partly cloudy skies, moderate temperatures and light wind.
Avalanche activity
Alexander Basin produced yet another large slide.
Looking up.
From the side.
Hard slab, several hundred feet wide, crown up to about 6', running a little less than 1000 vertical feet, with a debris pile around 15 or so feet deep.
Took a coupla trees.
This would be the fifth in the series as best I can tell.
A pano of the crown. Zooming
suggests a large cornice fall initiated the slide.
The debris was covered by several inches of recent snow so I'm guessing the slide may have occurred during the windy period on April 19th.
Zoom
Two recent glide avalanches in the Bonkers-Diving board area of Broads were also viewed with an additional wet slab to the north in the lower rock slabs.
Big slide south of eeny meeny in Mill B south probably the result of the rain on April 18th.
Three recent slides in the back bowls.
Evaluation
Good stability in the area, with wind drifting the exception.
There may still be a few active drifts at upper elevations.
Wet activity possible with warming.
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