Sawatch
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Feb 11, 2019 · Sawatch
Weather
Cold and blustery. Sky cover started to decrease after 2 PM with short sun breaks.
Snowpack
Snowpack is soft and mostly faceted except where loaded by recent winds near ridgetop. Lower elevations have seen some wind affect as well but we only found thin slabs lower down.
Avalanche
We went to look at large avalanche that ran into Buckeye Gulch near the Sangree M. Froelicher hut. The avalanche ran full path approximately 1000 vertical feet. The slide took out small trees and broke many branches on the uphill side of old growth trees located at the historic trim line. The avalanche also piled deep debris in Buckeye Gulch and ran about 50 vertical up the other side of the gully wall. The crown face was approximately 500 feet wide and broke 6 to 10 feet deep on the looker left with shallower crown heights towards the peak on the lookers right. The avalanche stepped down to the ground in places. The avalanche likely broke on a mid-pack facets. This is a heavily wind-loaded area especially with the recent southwest winds.---It was interesting how destructive this avalanche was although the slab did not extend very far below ridgeline. It would be easy for a backcountry traveler on a lower slope below not to realize the overhead danger. Many ski tracks were along the sides of the debris as this a popular areas for people staying at the hut.---Also interesting was the amount of snow that was entrained by engulfing weak snow at lower elevations. At below treeline elevations there were 2-3 ft walls on the sides of the debris flow where the avalanche gouged into older and weaker snow.