Front Range
SnowpackAustin DiVesta · Dec 17, 2024 · Front Range
Weather
A blustery, snowy day at Berthoud Pass. Light to moderate snowfall rates were equal, about two to three inches while we were out in Current Creek.
Snowpack
Variable snow surfaces best describe the snow of the day. Most places we traveled were pretty frim while we were breaking trail, most likely due to the skier traffic Current Creek has seen. However, when we dug on a southeast-facing slope at around 11,600ft, we found about a six-inch slab that was 4 Finger in hardness rescind on top of a facet/crust combination 25 cm down from the surface. When we went to isolate the Extend Column Test, it failed at this new snow/old snow interface. We moved to a northeast-facing slope around a similar elevation and found moderate propagation results (ECTP15 down 25). These areas were slightly sheltered but still had plenty of wind-affected snow. Something to note was that we found somewhat hard 4 Finger to 1 Finger hard facets at the ground in our northeast-facing pit. No matter where you travel, the newly formed slab has enough mass and is dense enough to connect around terrain features.