Sawatch
AvalancheIan Hoyer ยท Jan 20, 2017
Weather
Warm, wet snowfall. Snowing S-1 to S1. Moderate west winds near treeline. Warm enough that the roadbed on the highway was wet, despite the new snow.
Snowpack
3-5 inches of new snow. No surface hoar observed underneath the new snow at any aspect/elevation. On S-SE slopes there is a thin (1 cm) suncrust underneath the new snow. No crust on other aspects. New snow appears well bonded to all of the underlying surfaces. Just enough west wind to lightly drift snow near treeline, but not enough to give it any real cohesion. New snow only ~8" deep in deepest drift I found.
Avalanche
Crossed a gully filled with debris from a previously reported slide from mid-Jan cycle. No new avalanches observed.