Front Range
AvalancheIan Fowler · Jan 18, 2023 · Front Range
Weather
Snow all day with calm winds. Later in the day the sun was poking through the haze which was creating some greenhouse-warming affect. As we left at 2pm winds were increasing from the west.
Snowpack
On northerly aspects, the snowpack was 100cm(3.5 feet) to 170cm(6ft) and consisted of storm snow and a strong midpack slab over facets. The basal facets were not depth hoar and seemed to be strengthening over other observations. Easy results on a deep tap test show the potential this weak layer has in a shallower snowpack. Southerly aspects had a 50 to 70cm snow depth that had a crust just above the ground and one just below the surface of the new snow. There was no slab formation in new snow.
Avalanche
Numerous Loose Dry surface sluffs in any terrain steeper than about 35 degrees.