Sawatch

Avalanche

Spencer Herford · Jan 14, 2020 · Sawatch

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Weather

Sunny and pleasant temps today with clear skies. Moderate winds from the west with light snow transport observed at the Crest Ridge which is near treeline.

Snowpack

Did a test pit at 11,400 on W aspect BTL, HS 150CM. Observed large surface hoar formations in the 10mm range, up to 16mm. All formations were pushed over and some were broken from the wind. CTN, ECTX. Ridgeline atop snowstake had some light snow transport going on. Leeward side of the ridge I found a ~10cm thick, 1F hardness crust. I observed some cracking as I skinned through it but they did not propagate further than 15-20 cm from my ski tip.

Avalanche

No avalanches observed in the area.