Sawatch
SnowpackSara Orgue · Dec 13, 2013 · Sawatch
Weather
Clear sky turning scattered in the afternoon. Light winds from the W-SW below treeline with no snow transport. Cold temperatures when sun set. No wind tranport reported neither in higher elevations.
Snowpack
Shallow and faceted snowpack, going from 30 cm to 80 cm deep. E and NE faces shallower than N and NW slopes. Strong effect of the steepness in rocky features. Cold, shaded and bottom valley place that promoutes faceting. Whumphing and cracking moderate during the uphill in small open wind effected areas. They didn't propagate far. Structure of the snowpack in a north slope, 30º at 11.000 feet: From 72 to 65 cm: near surface facets, 0.2-0.3 mm, F From 65 to 43 cm: mixed forms (facets with some round edges), 0,5 mm, 4F From 43 to 41 cm: crust, P From 41 to 20 cm: mixed forms, 1 mm, 1F From 20 to 0 cm: depth hoar, 2 mm, 4F Stability test results: CT 18 SC and ECTP 21 SC on the depth hoar at 20 cm from the ground. Stability discussion: the structure of the snowpack is similar in all the aspects we have been (E, NE, N and NW). The depth hoar as a weak layer seem to be more reactive as the slab gets harder.