Sawatch

Snowpack

Bo Torrey · Nov 25, 2020 · Sawatch

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Weather

Clear skies. Cold Temperatures. Moderate westerly winds drifting snow along exposed ridges.

Snowpack

Quick rec trip up to Monarch. 8-10" inches of new snow on the pass. In sheltered areas the storm instabilities had settled out. Total snow depth on wind drifted slopes averaged 36 inches just below ridges. On wind-drifted slopes a 6-12" deep wind slab rest on top of low density snow and failure was easy. Noted wind drifted snow on NW-N-E-SE aspects. On a protected north facing slope at 11,400 ft. the weak faceted snow near the ground continued to be reactive in stability tests. ECTP 14 on 2mm facets 10 cm above the ground.