Sawatch

Snowpack

Ben Pritchett · Dec 5, 2019 · Sawatch

Weather

Foggy, overcast, cold, with a breeze. Light snow that didn't add up to much.

Snowpack

Found Surface Hoar buried down about 8" below the snow surface. It's identifiable as a prominant stripe in the snowpack. At this location the slab above the Surface Hoar was too soft to propagate in snowpack tests, but it was easy to push and release this soft slab on unsupported steep rolls. With more load, either now in terrain with drifting, or later once more snow falls, this layer will be one to watch. ECT test showed propagation in the top of the Depth Hoar layer, down about 18" from the snow surface. This deeper weak layer is the biggest concern in the Monarch Pass area at the moment since a fracture at this depth will produce a deeper, more dangerous avalanche.