Sawatch
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Jan 31, 2020 · Sawatch
Weather
Cold, cloudy and windy near and above treeline. Much warmer in sheltered areas.
Snowpack
The snowpack below treeline is almost completely faceted and unsupportable to skis. This changes near treeline and the slab is about 1.5 to 2 feet thick over the same amount of faceted snow. I only looked at a south and southeast-facing slope near treeline but found propagating Extended Column Tests Results in every test. Some results were the upper end of moderate and some were hard results. I also got three collapses while walking up a low-angle southerly slope, one of which was significant. The culprit in the propagating tests is a fist to four-finger-minus layer of 1 to 2 mm factes in the middle of the snowpack. This layer is the separator of our December snowfall and our January snowfall. It formed during the two to three weeks of dry weather following the mid-December storm. Weak snow exists near the ground and a large avalanche would likely gouge and break into depth hoar but the mid-pack layer is where avalanches will break with a trigger in the right spot or a large loading event.---Also interestingly, there were some small cornice breaks on southerly slopes and small loose avalanches and wind slabs but surprisingly they didn't pull out any larger slabs. A little disconcerting as we know the snowpack structure is poor but it seems capable of handling a load.
Avalanche
The avalanche listed below is the only significant avalanche viewed in this area. There were a few other very small slabs below ridgetop and some small loose dry avalanches.