Front Range
AvalancheWill McDermott · May 5, 2021 · Front Range
Weather
Partly cloudy, sporadic intense patches of sun, 70% of time was cloud covered. Warm temperature (27-32 Farenheit). Blowing snow and ~30-40mph gusts blowing over the crown that broke.
Snowpack
Consolidated layer of snow below problem layer. Could see melt patterns on the snow surface after the fresh windloaded snow broke off of it. Fresh windloaded snow that broke and sluffed off was roughly 2-6" deep, differing across the crown due to the cornice and windloading.
Avalanche
SSE facing, between 11,900-12,000 feet. Beneath a windloaded small cornice, the fresh snow broke around a large exposed boulder that was soaking up sporadic but intense sunlight, the break caused windloaded snow beneath this cornice to come down as well. From a safe distance the slide appeared to be ~50m wide at the crown and slid 100-150m down the face. The.