Sawatch

Snowpack

Jeremy Primmer · Apr 3, 2022 · Sawatch

Weather

Overcast skies, rain on Chalk Creek Pass and light snow up Mosquito Peak

Snowpack

I found a supportable spring snowpack below treeline. Southerly slopes did not hold snow except for crossloaded features. The snowpack depth on easterlies near treeline and above depend greatly on wind loading. You could go from scree to a snowpack deeper than 300cm in 50’. There was still wind loading occurring near ridge tops on easterlies and wind slabs sitting on a slick crust were a concern. Above the treeline on easterlies under the recent snow was 20cm of crusts from the last warm up that were pencil to knife hard with a pencil hard slab under that. The midpack facets were dry but 1 finger hard and would be hard to affect under the crusts and stiff slab.