Sawatch
SnowpackColin Mitchell · Apr 15, 2015 · Aspen
Weather
Partly cloudy and breezy. There was quite a bit of snow moving around ATL.
Snowpack
Average height of snow on the road was only around 60 cm until you reached the switchback at E roaring fork. From here to near the summit, winds have left snow drifts up to 2 meters tall on the road, average HS is probably around 1 meter. The snowpack near treeline was characterized by a thick but fairly soft M/F crust at the surface, capping moist facets and poly-crystal melt-forms. There was around half to 3/4" of new snow on the road. Looked like a little more up high. There was widespread blowing snow ATL, but with little available for transport, slab formation was minimal. Slick wind board and m/f crusts were the norm for the surface ATL. New snow may not stick too well to these surfaces. Warm temps overall during the storm may help a little with bonding.