Front Range
SnowpackLuke Robinson ยท Jan 1, 2026
Weather
There was on and off very light snowing with calm winds from the west. Overcast skies with low hanging clouds coming in and out that obscured visibility of the upper mountain. The highway was closed above Glen Cove (Pikes Peak highway mile 13) due to snow on the road.
Snowpack
The snow had the most consistent coverage on northwest to north facing slopes between 10,500' and 11,500', with thinner more patchy coverage below 10,500' and on east to south facing slopes near treeline. The snow that was found was mostly faceted with occasional crusts. On northwest facing slopes near and below treeline the snow averaged 12" in depth with wind drifted areas up to 24" deep. You could occasionally find a weak mostly unsupportable temperature crust (1-5cm) that became thinner and more faceted as you gained elevation. In very rare places you could find evidence of an older crust approx. 15 cm down that was almost entirely faceted away. On East and South facing slopes the snowpack was more sparse and shallow but the crusts became larger and more supportive (up to 7cm in thickness) Looking above treeline the snow seemed isolated into wind deposited slopes and gullies with the surface of this snow showing signs of wind effect.