Front Range
SnowpackAnonymous · May 11, 2016 · Front Range
Weather
Partly sunny with frequent snow showers, temperatures near freezing, breezy. Lake Isabelle area ~11000 ft, SE aspect. Significant wind transport observed ~11500ft
Snowpack
SE aspect, 27 deg slope, wind-loaded area, ~11000 ft New snow layer over two large older snow layers. Snowpack was wet to bottom of pit (~1m) and had not frozen. Fist hardness in new snow, hand hardness in middle layer except for one ice crust in the center of this layer, fist hard in bottom layer. ECT results 13-failure just above new snow-old snow interface, no propagation 21-failure within the middle layer of snow just below an ice crust, full propagation 21-failure between middle and bottom layers, full propagation 30-failure within middle layer of snow, roughly 1 inch below previous failure, full propagation Wind slabs were building ~11500 feet. exhibited cracking, depths to 6-8inches observed. slabs were getting deeper with altitude. Observed very large number of rollerballs on steep E facing slope just south of lake Isabelle (~10500). Appeared to have run 1-2 days earlier. Large cornice E of lake Isabelle had dropped a small chunk.