Sawatch

Snowpack

Spencer Herford · Apr 4, 2022 · Sawatch

Weather

Day started with clearing skies, light west winds, pleasant temps. Warm temps by noon. Clouds started to build around 2pm with moderate wind speeds and moderate wind loading.

Snowpack

Test pit below the ridge on an east aspect in the near treeline elevation band. HS 210cm. Several MFcr in the top meter of the snowpack, notably a layer 58-63cm down from the surface that was knife hard with a layer of F hard 2mm rounding facet grains directly below it found 63-66cm down. We were unable to isolate an ECT on this layer due to the stout crusts, but a CT failed at 26 with a Sudden Collapse on this faceted layer. The new snow that fell overnight was moist by 1000 on east and south aspects. At 1500 we descended a northwest aspect. Snow was still dry up high where the wind was moving snow, but moist in more protected areas in the trees.