Sawatch

Avalanche

John Mackinnon · Dec 16, 2020 · Sawatch

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Weather

Overcast skies, winds were light and northerly, very light to light snow all day, chilly temperatures.

Snowpack

Approx. 1-2" of new snow fell throughout the day. Profiles on NW aspects between 11,200 and 11,400 revealed an average HS of 60 cm. The top 25 cm consisted of storm snow since 12/10. The bottom 35 cm was made up of large facets. All profiles were Fist hard from top to bottom. Compression tests at profiles around 11,200 produced sudden results right at the interface of November snow and December snow.

Avalanche

1 small older loose-snow avalanche observed from the Chalk Creek trailhead--L-N-R1-D1 on the slopes just above the car park. About 20 feet wide and ran 40 ft downhill on an ESE aspect below TL.