Sawatch
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Dec 7, 2025 · Sawatch
Weather
Broken cloud cover, moderate winds at ridgetop with no evidence of current wind loading.
Snowpack
The snow depth in this area is 40 to 60 cm. Shallower spots are southerly-facing slopes and all slopes below 11k. Deeper spots are northerly-facing slopes where there was more snow prior to the recent storm. Wind-drifted above treeline slopes have much deeper drifts. The recent wind-loading was most effective in drifting east through south-facing slopes. Cracking and collapsing were observed, though less frequently on southeast and south-facing near treeline slopes. The weak layer is faceted snow near the ground. The basal weak layer is much thicker on northerly-facing slopes. The basal, faceted layer is only about 5 to 8 cm thick on south and southeast-facing slopes. With how thin the layer is, I was a little surprised to be getting slopewide collapses as this layer is not thick enough to overcome ground roughness. I suspect the reacitivty of this layer is due to the short amount of time since the recent load, and it will become less reactive quickly. Without knowing this for sure, south and southeast seem to be in the Persistent Slab avalanche picture until proven otherwise.
Avalanche
One natural from during the storm.