Sawatch

Snowpack

Jeremy Primmer · Dec 29, 2021 · Sawatch

Weather

Lots of blowing snow in the morning with short S-1 showers. Around 1:30 the snow picked up to a constant S1.

Snowpack

I found a lot more snow than a week ago. On southwest slopes at the trailhead there is a shallow 40cm but continuous snowpack. Small wind slabs are developing well below the treeline. Higher up still below the treeline near 11,000 I was finding a snowpack over a meter deep on protected southwest slopes. The new snow is sitting on old melt-freeze crusts from the long dry spell in November and early December and small facets 1mm at most. Above the treeline on west, southwest and south facing slopes snow coverage is limited to crossloaded terrain. The northerly and easterly start zones above the treeline are holding more snow but I think the coverage is too broken up and not enough snow for D4 avalanches. I traveled on some low-angle northeast facing slopes near the treeline and below and I did not get cracking, collapsing, or wumphfing. I did not see any avalanches, but the clouds were in and out and crowns are being buried fast with the wind loading so I could have easily missed one.