Sawatch

Snowpack

Becs Hodgetts · Apr 13, 2020 · Sawatch

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Weather

The full gammut of spring weather conditions. Sun to blowing to snow in 5min time period. Cold temps and wind were the constant today. Mostly overcast skies.

Snowpack

5" HST. Winds was drifting snow near treeline into soft 8"slabs. Mostly unreactive with only minor cracking around skis. New snow bonded well to the 7cm thick melt freeze crust below. Two thinner crusts lay below this with moist grains sandwiched between these crusts. The lower crust was 30cm form the surface. Facets were still dry and rounding below these crusts. Below treeline north slopes held a 4cm crust. If you punched through this with your boot, you were up to your boot-top in moist facets.