Front Range

Snowpack

Anonymous · Jan 25, 2016 · Front Range

View on map

Weather

Sunny, calm, and warm in the AM. Gradually increasing clouds and west winds, falling temperatures, snowing S1 by 3:30pm.

Snowpack

Dug pit on SSE aspect, near treeline, about 11,800'. HS 85cm, did not record full snow profile but found a the snowpack was primarily comprised of 4F to F facets with at least 3 distinct buried crusts. The top 10-12" was composed of 1F recent wind and storm deposited snow capped by a stout MF crust from the warm and sunny weather on 1/22 and 1/23. Performed an ECT. The top 1-2" thick crust failed with propagation on isolation with a Q1 shear. The recent snow failed ECTP11 on a facet/crust combo with Q1 shear about 12" down. Kept going and got another propagating failure on a facet/crust combo, Q1 shear, about 3ft down (ECTP22). Overall a high potential for propagating failures was observed on multiple interfaces.