Sawatch
SnowpackBo Torrey · Jan 21, 2021 · Sawatch
Weather
Partly cloudy skies with occasional flurries. Mild temperatures. Warm in the sunshine. Light to moderate west winds. 2" of new snow from 1/19.
Snowpack
The snowpack depth ranged from 30-90 cm. Coverage on south-facing slopes is very thin - less than 30 cm in most areas. Steep south-facing slopes had a crust that varied in thickness from 1/4” to 3/4” with facets below. We found limited evidence of significant wind drifted snow from the January 14 wind event. We experienced a handful of localized collapses and shooting cracks 50-75' feet. Sheltered slopes near treeline consisted of a mostly faceted snowpack with a lower 4F mid-pack layer where there is still some slight cohesion above the Dec 11 depth hoar interface. Near treeline slopes exposed to the wind held a much more cohesive 1F slab. In both cases, stability results produced propagation on the weak faceted snow about 25cm above the ground with varying degrees of effort.