Sawatch
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Mar 26, 2022 · Sawatch
Weather
Warm, mostly clear, windy.
Snowpack
Above treeline, winds kept the snow surface cool. Descending a south-facing above treeline slope at noon, I found no wet issues and the snow was very firm beneath less than an inch of moist snow. Areas that were sheltered from the wind and very steep and rocky, saw a few very small loose wet slides. Near treeline east through south was much warmer and the top 6 to 8" of snow was wet. I was able to get some large rollerballs going but no avalanches. There is a firm crust on southerly slopes beneath the wet snow. On easterly-facing near treeline slopes there are thinner crusts and a faceted snow layer that is still dry about 60 cm from the surface. This is more concerning than the southerly slopes which have seen heat numerous times this spring and are further into the springtime transition. Near treeline northeast was just starting to get wet with the top inch saturated. Below treeline, the top 6 to 8 inches was wet on almost all aspects. Northeast was getting wet too and just like east-facing, the warmup will be a big change and more concerning than southerly-facing slopes.
Avalanche
Very small wet avalanches entraining just the top couple inches of snow on steep, rocky, southeast-facing slopes. One larger (but still small) avalanche on a rocky, northeast-facing below treeline slope.