Sawatch
SnowpackIan Hoyer ยท Dec 24, 2016
Weather
Warm and cloudy day. Inversion fog in the valley in the morning. South winds were stripping slopes in the alpine.
Snowpack
2-4 mm surface hoar on all aspects below treeline in the morning. This surface hoar melted off on sunny slopes by early afternoon. On windy slopes near treeline the surface hoar had been destroyed (if it formed in the first place...). Dramatic stiffening of the snow surface as you moved from below to near treeline. Sunny slopes also had a thin melt-freeze crust just below the new snow. Dug on a wind loaded S slope near treeline, found a melt-freeze crust at the ground instead of facets and most of the snowpack consisted of 1F rounds. Strongest snowpack I've dug in all season. Many other S slopes do have the basal facets. S facing starting zones in the alpine were stripped, some all the way down to the rocks.