Attached is the hydrograph from the "Snake River near Montezuma" (actually it is really in Keystone above the gondola). I have attached the link to get the live version. You can see the stream flow has increased from about 50 cfs on May 18 to 300 cfs just before midnight on May 24. This is a very clear indication that a lot of water is on the move and the flow is accelerating rapidly. With the warmer weather following last week's storm, these spiking flows should only become more dramatic. This afternoon I was able to field test the flows in the Blue River. They are up and very nice.
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv/?site_no=09047500&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060
This photo of the East Wall shows a lot of small, dribbling snow events. There was a large wet slide in Dog Leg just Northeast of the ski area. The temps have not been below freezing for several days. Our instrumentation on Pali clearly indicates the presence of water. Digging around in the snow also shows us that the areas with less consolidated snow are really soft and loose and wet. Not the greatest.
So this is why the steep stuff is closed. This time of year the best skiing can be found in our less steep, heavily compacted or groomed areas. It is time to enjoy Columbine in Zuma, Norway Face and the West Wall on the Upper Mountain, and, of course, the slush bumps on Ramrod.
