Sawatch

Snowpack

Jason Konigsberg · Apr 19, 2021 · Sawatch

Weather

Wind loading was light near treeline and intense above treeline in places like Mt Sherman and Dyer Mtn. I did not observe the same intense transport over the Sawatch Range

Snowpack

I went to check out a recent skier-triggered avalanche that caught and carried three people a short distance. The avalanche was small and relatively harmless. This could change with recent wind loading. I wanted to look at the snowpack structure to see if this avalanche was a sign of things to come. I traveled on northerly slopes near and above treeline. Near treeline, I found facets buried under a crust which was buried under 6 inches of soft snow. There was no slab, so no issues here. Up by the avalanche, recent winds drifted snow into a slab on top of this same weak layer. This is where there is an issue. You would need to find a wind-loaded slope over this structure to find a problem. At the crown, dust was buried just a few inches down. With that layer as a good date reference, it would seem this faceted layer was buried prior to the snow on April 13. The well-preserved facets (.5 mm) at the crown was sandwiched between a knife hard slab below and a pencil-hard slab above.