Front Range

Snowpack

You all know the adjectives by now: thin, variable, and weak. Strong NW winds were transporting moderate snow in the alpine zone today. The loading was most pronounced on east to south aspects near treeline, as the ATL areas were too windy. Even the most loaded areas did not receive enough a load to change the avy danger. BTL- very thin, and ground cover is still apparent in almost all locations. On shady aspects the snowpack is facets from top to bottom, and your walking on the ground in your skis. HS ranges from 70 cm or so in sheltered shaded aspects, to 10-30 cm on sunny slopes. Only concern is sluffing of faceted snowpack, and a plethora of shallowly buried obstacles. Near TL- Wind affects are more apparent. There are soft slabs 1-2 feet thick, and 15-20 feet wide in patchy areas. These transition to harder slabs as you exit into the alpine. No large continuous slabs to be found. Worry is small soft slabs in isolated areas....most less than D2, but an isolated D2 is possible. ATL- Hard slabs...the same ones that have been there for over a month. Otherwise, wind scoured terrain. The slabs are sitting over facets and depth hoar. These slabs are larger 100-250 wide, and 0-7 feet thick, with dramatic changes in thickness over short distances. Triggering these slabs will be very difficult (even with explosives). Triggering is most likely from thin areas along the margins, but potential trigger points will be difficult to find, and hard slabs will only release in isolated areas from W to N to E aspects where prior wind loading has been most pronounced this season.