Sawatch
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Feb 2, 2023 · Sawatch
Weather
Clear and cool. Breezy and cold at ridgetop.
Snowpack
The surface snow got moist on south and southeast below treeline. It stayed cool though so we weren't close to any wet avalanche concerns. A melt-freeze crust formed in the afternoon. It was supportable to skis.--- Overall the snowpack is thinner in this area compared to many other places in Colorado. Below treeline the snow depth is 60 to 100 cm and is composed of mostly faceted crystals. Not much different than an area I was in along I-70 in the Front Range the day before. I dug on a southeast-facing slope at 11,500 ft (NTL or upper end of BTL) and found a 1 meter deep snowpack. I got test results of ECTP23 at 30 cm from the ground on facets that were buried in November. I also got a test result of PST 28/100 END. In the ECT I was able to initiate cracks in faceted layers in upper 30 cm of the snowpack but the cracks did not propagate.---I also dug on an east-facing near treeline slope at 11,700 ft. The midpack slab was harder and a little less faceted and I was unable to get propagating results in an ECT on the basal facets. A non-standard cross-PST test yielded a result of 35/90 END at 42 cm from the ground.
Avalanche
I observed two large, long-running avalanches in Graham Gulch on east-facing slopes. They are coded with photos in a separate observation. Although these avalanches were large, it is interesting that the mass of these avalanches on the slope did not lead to more-widely propagating avalanches on basal weak layers. This shows that our basal weak layers are truly stubborn even in this relatively shallow area. If we ever get a loading event in this area...watch out.