Sawatch

Snowpack

Sean Smollen · Nov 12, 2021 · Sawatch

Weather

Warm, even with windchill, 1 degree celsius shaded at 11,500' around 1pm. Clouds increased through tour. Winds were Light below tree line and increased to moderate near and above tree line. Sustained winds out of the NW.

Snowpack

New snow and winds strong enough to transport snow has redistributed coverage visibly in the Sawatch Range and the Mosquito Range. Large whumphs/ shooting cracks were observed on SE-S-W-N aspects at all elevation ranges, in specific terrain that held more than 30cm of snow. All areas where shooting cracks were observed had a textured and wind affected surface. Shooting cracks were noticed on terrain steeper than 30 degrees but no downslope movement occurred. In a quick hand pit on a wind loaded northerly aspect at 11,300', HS was 45cm, new snow comprised the top ~35cm of the snowpack and older, large grained facets the bottom 10cm. New snow was upside-down, and increased in density as you moved up to the surface. SE aspects skied noticeably better with recently drifted snow from the NW, over northerly aspects. No test/full pit was dug during tour.