Sawatch

Snowpack

Jason Konigsberg · Dec 26, 2022 · Sawatch

Weather

Mild. Calm except for light breezes at ridgetop. Winds picked up later in the morning but no signs of snow transport. Mostly clear.

Snowpack

I traveled on mostly southeast-facing slopes below and near treeline. Ski pen only about 20 to 30 cm. I expected to be falling through the snowpack but this was not the case. There was a layer of recent wind-drifted snow, beneath about 4" of new snow that supported skis. The snow depth was about 60 to 90 cm, which is deeper than areas around Fremont Pass. I dug at treeline and found a cohesive 60 cm thick slab sitting on top of 30 cm of facets and crusts. I got a result of ECTP11 failing on facets above a crust. There is other faceted layers within the slab but none failed in tests.