Front Range
SnowpackAmanda Loughlin · Feb 5, 2025 · Front Range
Weather
Light snowfall in the morning and early afternoon, with overcast skies, mild temperatures and moderate to strong west winds with active snow transport.
Snowpack
The snowpack showed obvious signs of sun effect everywhere I traveled today. Below tree line on my way to St. Mary's Lake, the height of snow ranged from 0 to 50cm. At the lake, I saw a large glide crack on east facing headwall. Continuing up easterly aspects below tree line, the height of snow was between 5 and 210cm. I experienced localized cracking on surface melt freeze crust that was 2.5 to 5cm thick in more protected areas, but the melt freeze crust was quite firm in more exposed areas. A snow pit dug on east aspect below tree line depicted a K hard melt freeze with moist upper layers, a stout slab and weaker layers underneath. This structure did not produce results on extended column tests. Traveling near tree line on east and southeast facing aspects, the surface melt freeze crust became impenetrable. Above 11,000 feet, I began to notice more obvious signs of wind effect such as large drifts, sastrugi and blowing snow. A second snow pit dug on southeast facing aspect revealed another K hard melt freeze crust with slabs over rounding facets and depth hoar. This structure produced minor results on extended column test (ECTN21 @ moist rounding facet layer 75cm). When I removed the snow from this extended column test, it came off as a cohesive slab above the depth hoar layer.