Front Range
SnowpackAustin DiVesta · Dec 31, 2024 · Front Range
Weather
It was a cold semi-bluebird day. The clouds kept threatening to close in but somehow just moved over the divide. Winds were light to moderate from the west.
Snowpack
The signs of unstable snow were present today without having to really dig into the snowpit. These were most present below and near treeline. We did dig a snow pit on a northwest-facing slope around 11,300ft and found just over a meter of snow. There was about 30 cm of fresh snow, which rested on top of the December Drought layer. New snow hadn’t yet formed a stiff slab, but it should be something to watch. We got no propagation Extended Column Tests (ECTN15 at 70cm from the ground). We then moved to a southeast-facing slope, which was previously wind-loaded, and found a snow height of 130cm, around 11,200ft. The new snow here was more affected by the wind and stiffer than the northwest-facing slopes. Here, we found moderate non-propagation results (ECTNM) for the new snow. We did note that there was a graupel layer about 20cm from the surface with some time in the storm. Surprisingly, we did not get any propagating results in this pit either.