Front Range
SnowpackAmanda Loughlin · Feb 9, 2025 · Front Range
Weather
Strong west winds becoming moderate in the afternoon with active snow transport, cold, and mostly clear skies.
Snowpack
Below tree line, the snow was thin near the parking area, and I found buried melt freeze crusts while poking around. Continuing further up the trail, I found the 4-6" of new snow preserved in very protected spots and witnessed it blowing in more open areas. As I approached the road, the terrain below tree line opened up and the wind became more intense. Skinning up east facing aspects, I witnessed intense active snow transport, forming wind slabs and localized cracking when I stepped off the skintrack. A hasty pit on east facing aspect near tree line revealed a wind slab over decomposing fragments, a melt freeze crust and facets. I noticed wind effect in many forms near tree line including a thin wind skin, wind slabs 3-10cm thick, and sastrugi. Approaching the ridgeline, the west wind hit me head on and scoured snow from the ground. There were a few wind loaded features, but the majority of my travel was on grass and rocks. Descending the other side to Hanging Valley, the snow became more consistent on northeast aspects near tree line. Probing around, the height of snow varied between 20-200cm. Extended column tests (ECTs) on northeast aspect near tree line with a height of snow of 130cm only elicited irregular fractures on decomposing fragments 20cm from the surface on blows from the elbow. Weaker layers lower in the snowpack were not triggered. The second set of ECTs on same aspect and elevation in shallower snow (less than a meter) I was able to get moderate results on basal weak layer and F hard layer under the surface wind slab.