Sawatch
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Feb 5, 2021 · Sawatch
Weather
It felt like winter again. Snowy, cold and breezy. Not enough vis to see loading but the weather stations tell the story.
Snowpack
The Fremont Pass area got missed by some of the early season storms that favored the southern Sawatch resulting in a very weak snowpack. The storm on the night of Feb 3 was the first significant storm in this area in a long time. The Fremont Pass Snotel only gained 1.4" of SWE in January. Not too much different than totals the last 5 days. Anyway, the dense slab that formed the last seven or so days rests on very weak facets. An extended column test on a northeast-facing slope below treeline failed on isolation (ECTPV) at 35 cm from the surface. Total snow depth of 87 cm. I got numerous collapses as I traveled. I got close to a few steep terrain features but I was unable to trigger an avalanche. I think with how dense this slab is, a rider may be able to get down a steep slope for a bit before finding the right spot and triggering an avalanche. That's just a guess from a small sample of data today.
Avalanche
No avalanches observed but visibility quite limited.