Sawatch

Snowpack

Jeremy Primmer · Dec 18, 2021 · Sawatch

Weather

Clear skies, light to moderate winds out the the SW

Snowpack

I did not see any recent avalanche activity. Signs of instability were limited to a couple short shooting cracks. The cracks went 10’ at most on north and northwest facing slopes near treeline and were isolated to small terrain features. The cracks were failing underneath the recent wind slabs sitting on a faceted base. Northwest slopes above the treeline are scoured clean. Around treeline the coverage is variable and has better coverage as you drop down into the trees. The snow that is there has a weak structure, it is supportable to skis but you punch through to the bottom in boots. I was able to get a propagating result from an ECT in a snowpit on a northwest facing slope near the treeline that failed under the recent wind slabs. On southeast slopes near the treeline the coverage is thin but consistent. I found a 40cm snowpack that has a thin melt-freeze crust under the recent snow. Under the melt-freeze crust is a thin layer of facets that may be problematic during our next loading event.