Front Range
SnowpackBrian Lazar · Apr 3, 2015 · Front Range
Weather
mostly cloudy skies early in the morning yielding to mostly sunny skies by mid morning. Cool but very windy ATL. Moderate wind loading at all ridges even BTL.
Snowpack
Around 12 inches of new snow overnight with a density change within the storm snow making it slightly heavier on top. Lots of strong NW winds moved this snow around and formed discontinuous Wind Slabs on NE-E-SE-S aspects but seem confined to ATL. Little slab formation near and BTL treeline with only minor cracking around my skis in exposed areas. The snow fell on stout crusts up to 6 inches thick on all but due north aspects. The crusts remained stout and supportable in boots until at least 2pm, even on South aspects. Despite cool temperature the strong April sun made quick work of the new snow and it got heavy and moist on S and E aspects by noon. It settled rapidly even on N aspects. On all aspects the storm snow would easily shed off the crusts by mid day on all steep slopes and produce some small to large loose sluffs.