Sawatch
SnowpackBo Torrey · Feb 28, 2021 · Sawatch
Weather
Starting to feel like spring. Sun was warm even with the cold temperatures. Very calm winds. Nice day to be in the mountains.
Snowpack
Exposed southerly aspects have a crust on the surface that varies from 1cm to 5cm. Found widespread faceted snow directly beneath the crust in the area. Something to watch for in the future. Overall the snowpack was supportive with a few inches of soft dense snow on the surfaces where there wasn't a crust. The overall snowpack structure has not significantly changed but there are some signs of improvement. The upper and mid snowpack has settled into a very firm slab that progresses in hardness from fist to knife as you move deeper in the snowpack. About 50cm above the ground is where the faceted snow from early January and December begin. Portions of the thick layer of facets and depth hoar were beginning to show very subtle signs of improvement. Part of the layer becoming harder, and even some faceted grains showing early signs of rounding (ie. the sharp corners are now becoming soft). I was still getting consistent hard results in my extended column tests in the high 20's. This tells us that it takes a lot of force to impact the weak layer but that there remains potential for collapses to propagate through the snowpack.