Sawatch
SnowpackAndrea Tupy · Jan 16, 2021 · Sawatch
Weather
Warm with a light west breeze and partly cloudy skies. About six snowflakes fell when I started skinning but quickly stopped. Signs from the previously windy days were apparent including sastrugi and pine tree litter on the snow surface.
Snowpack
The snowpack was variable. Most places below treeline were supportive to skis within the top 35cm of snow. The south aspects has sun-affected crust layer in isolated openings in the tree canopy. Ridgeline areas that had been previously exposed to high winds were bullet proof but the strength quickly subsided upon leaving the ridge in any direction. There was no contiguous slab or reliable surface tension, sometimes experiencing zipper crust, sometimes 2 to 5 cm wind crust, and sometime just completely unsupportive. Large facets and depth hoar made up the majority of the snowpack. Stability tests yielded ECTX, CT12 @ 16cm (in a layer of facets) and a PST 21/100 SF @ 34 all three tests with repeatable with similar results on south BTL, southeast NTL and west BTL.