Sawatch
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Nov 27, 2024 · Sawatch
Weather
50 to 60 cm of new snow, temps dropping and skies clearing
Snowpack
With brief glimpses of the surrounding terrain, the mountains look pasted. Normally scoured west-facing slopes don't look much different from easterly slopes. On northerly and east-facing slopes where we traveled the snowpack is quite simple and dangerous. A thick 50 to 60 cm slab rests over fist-hard facets. This layer is most reactive at 35 cm from the ground. The slab is still very soft in most places. It was actually more cohesive below treeline where the storm snow is denser. We didn't travel in any drifted areas.
Avalanche
We observed a wide avalanche on an east-facing near treeline slopes that ran during the storm. The crown looked deep but was already partially filled in. We intentionally triggered a small Persistent Slab avalanche on a steep, short northeast-facing terrain feature. We observed a natural avalanche on a west-facing near treeline slope that occurred while we are out touring.