Sawatch
SnowpackBrandon Levy · May 11, 2020 · Aspen
Weather
Heading up the road in the morning the rain / snow line was around 10000'. However, snow was not sticking to the road until around 11500'. Skies stayed obscured with periods of overcast. The precipitation type was snow (heavily rimed) above 10800' at least up until noon with a precip rate of one cm / hour. Winds were steady from the Northwest by 1100. Temperature stayed in the low to upper 30's
Snowpack
Snow depth on the West / Southwest facing slopes above SH82 is shallow (86cms at 12100') The snowpack is isothermal and wet to moist throughout aside from the 2-4" of new snow which was moist by 1030. The new snow was well stuck onto the 15cms underlying melt-freeze crust. No results in a shovel tilt test. Ski penetration and boot penetration were both 10cms.