Front Range
SnowpackLuke Robinson ยท Mar 16, 2026
Weather
Mostly sunny, started below freezing rising to around freezing by the afternoon. Light winds with moderate to strong gusts from the NW
Snowpack
A mostly weak and faceted snowpack with pockets where the new snow from last week has formed a slab. On NW to NE facing terrain from about 11,000' - 11,700' where protected from being wind scoured I found 20-40cm of depth hoar/near ground facets. Above this there were a few weak crusts and then the new snow from last week (around 8"). It remained mostly soft but you could find the occasional area where it formed a more cohesive slab where you would get collapsing and cracking mostly under foot (twice it went out a couple meters from my ski) with propagating ECT pit results. Non-north facing slopes and slopes that are exposed to the wind are a mix of low tide snow areas and wind drifted areas that are mostly soft snow