Sawatch

Avalanche

Jason Konigsberg · Nov 9, 2021 · Sawatch

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Weather

Moderate west to southwest winds with strong gusts. There was no wind transport in the morning but by afternoon I saw light loading onto easterly-facing above treeline slopes.

Snowpack

Not much of a snowpack on Mt Massive. There was one area of continuous snow coverage on an east-facing slope near the summit. Deeper in the Sawatch the snow coverage is more continuous (see photos).---The main point of this observation is to provide photos for other users and forecasters of the current snowpack coverage and potential for weak layer formation.

Avalanche

I noticed an avalanche in one of my zoomed in photos that I didn't notice while hiking. I am not sure exactly where it was but I think it was the east face of Mt Champion. It was southeasterly facing so it could have been a wet slab triggered by loose wet from above. It looked fairly fresh.