Sangre de Cristo
SnowpackEthan Greene · Jan 21, 2015 · Sangre de Cristo
Weather
Mostly clear skies with clouds hanging along the high ridge lines in the southern part of the range. No visible evidence of current wind transport, although there were small plumes in the Sawatch zone earlier in the day.
Snowpack
All observations were from the valley floor with binoculars. Northern part of the zone: On the west side of the range, the snowpack looks thin at all elevations. The most likely place for an avalanche is a NW facing slope near treeline. There just isn't enough snow in other locations. Central part of the zone: As you get closer to the Cottonwood Peak area, the above treeline snowpack looks deeper with enough snow for small D2 avalanches on northwest aspects. The snowpack is still thin and looks weathered.