Sawatch
SnowpackJohn Mackinnon ยท Feb 25, 2012
Weather
Few to Scattered clouds, steady moderate WSW winds with strong gusts. Observed moderate blowing snow below treeline and intense blowing snow at ridge-tops. Winds picked up throughout the day.
Snowpack
Dug several test profiles on NE slopes at 10,700. Sheltered areas had max of 70 cm with 4F soft slabs resting on weaker adv. facets and depth hoar. A profile in a wind affected area showed HS of 114 cm with several stacks of 1F-P hard slabs resting on thin layers of buried surface facets. Compression tests showed sudden planar fractures on 3 distinct buried facet layers in top 50 cm of snpx. Compression tests also showed sudden collapses on the advanced facets and depth hoar about 25 cm from the ground. Tilt tests revealed planar fractures on another buried facet layer down 10-15 cm from the surface. Group got several collapses and small cracks in more wind affected areas.