Front Range
SnowpackAnonymous · Mar 30, 2011 · Front Range
Weather
Snowing heavily in the afternoon, windy and gusty in treetops and openings, lots of snow moving in swirls and also rolling around at the surface. Low visibility.
Snowpack
2-4" very new, 8-10 inches soft when skiing, and with just boots sank in to 1 1/2 feet to the crusts and dusty layer. A pit was 290 cm deep in a forested opening at 10,800', 28 degrees, NE facing. The first 8-10cm sluffed on cutting and first tap. A layer q2 at 35cm deep failed at 6 taps, the dust was visible in a diffuse layer 42-45 cm deep. At 17 taps a q2-3 layer failed below the dust at about 50cm deep. Then with many hard taps there was a q3 failure at 70 cm deep, and some very firm snow in deeper layers. In open areas near treeline slabs and a heavy wind layer were developing at the surface.