Sawatch

Avalanche

Travis DeFreest · Jan 16, 2023 · Sawatch

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Weather

Light wind, gusting at times from the NW and W on a North western aspect from 11,600' down to 11,000'. Light snow most of the tour. Approx. 4-6" of new snow overnight.

Snowpack

Stable snow pack across most of the slope. Between the 11,200' to 11,500' area (further north toward the power line cut) the snow pack was very easy to penetrate with your ski pole while skinning back up the slope. The weak layer (faceted) was approx. two feet down. As you gained elevation the ability to penetrate the snow with just a ski pole became more difficult. Also as you traversed back towards the parking lot. Large drifts of snow in areas near 11,600'.

Avalanche

None seen.