Sawatch
AvalancheTommy Gram-Ahlene · Jan 8, 2024 · Sawatch
Weather
Our tour started with cold temps, scattered cloud cover and calm to light wind conditions out of the west. As the day went on winds picked up to be moderate out of the west. Snow transport in the ATL zone was observed.
Snowpack
We dug on a North Aspect Near tree line and found a 4F+ 30 cm thick slab in the mid snowpack on top of 40 cm of F hardness faceted grains. ECT results showed a ECTN19 failure on the Interface of the 4F+ slab and Facets at 40 CM. Total HS of our test pit was 85 cm.
Avalanche
Observed a SS-N-R1-D1.5-I (Soft Slab, Natural Triggered, Small relative to its path, and could potentially injure a person that appears to have failed on the new/old snow interface) Avalanche on a east aspect above tree line. Looking at the reasonably fresh crown it appears this avalanche occurred within the last 24 hours.