Sawatch
SnowpackJared Berman · Jan 15, 2023 · Sawatch
Weather
Broken skies that increased to overcast with increasing snowfall throughout the day. Moderate snowfall (S2) by the end of the day. Temps in the mid 20's. Light winds from the west.
Snowpack
Height of snow averaged 1-2ft deep and completely faceted except in areas where winds have redistributed snow on leeward slopes. In these areas collapsing and shooting cracks were easy to trigger. A snowpit on an east facing wind loaded slope near treeline revealed a pencil hard slab resting above fist hard facets and large grained depth hoar. An extended column test failed with hard results on this interface (ECTP22). Several collapses and shooting cracks were also observed on southerly aspects near treeline where the sun has seemingly settled recent snow into a thin slab resting above basal depth hoar.