Sawatch

Snowpack

Ethan Greene ยท Nov 15, 2014

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Weather

Snowfall ranged from 0 to S2. Winds were light below 11,000', but increased to 10-20 mph from the SW at treeline. Visibility was generally 1/8 mi but increased to 2 mi for brief periods. New snow amounts are 20 cm at 10,500' and 30 cm at 11,500'. Total snow ranged from 30 cm to 50 cm.

Snowpack

The snowpack is generally shallow, ranging from 30 cm at about 10,500' to 50 cm at 11,500'. Wind-loaded areas just below treeline are up to 50 cm deep. Near treeline there are drifts 80 cm deep. There was very little old snow in this area prior to November 10th, and most of the snow that fell since is consolidating into a supportable layer. I did not see any signs of instability. I crossed several wind-loaded test slopes, but generally avoided slopes over 30 degrees.