Wet loosies in the Beckwith Range

Date of Observation: 03/25/2022
Name: Zach Guy

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Traveled on NE, E, SE and S aspects of West Beckwith to 12,000 ft, and took a bino tour along Kebler Pass Road from Lost Lake this afternoon around 3-4 p.m.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Fairly active wet loose day in the Beckwiths and on Mt. Gunnison. Quieter from what I could see in the southern Ruby Range. Natural wet loose activity was most common near and above treeline below rock bands on east to south to west aspects, with some N/BTL activity creeping into northeast aspects. Sizes were generally D1 to D1.5, with a couple that might be approaching D2 in longer terrain. No wet slabs observed so far.
Weather: Warm temps, clear skies, light westerly winds.
Snowpack: Surfaces refroze overnight into supportive crusts. By 11 a.m., ski pen was about a foot deep into wet grains on steep easterly aspects. Good corn on due south around noon. This afternoon, we dug a couple of holes at 10,500 ft on a steep east aspect. Water was pooling on the thin dusty crust that is capping the dryspell facets (2/16 crust), about 2 feet down. The top half of the slab was wet, the bottom half was moist. On northeast aspects BTL, the top 10″ was moist and producing rollerballs. On southeast aspects, wet loose activity was running on the 2/16 crust, which was only about a foot deep at this location; the crust remained intact and supportive to boot pen.