Front Range
SnowpackRyan Zarter · Jan 4, 2020 · Vail & Summit County
Weather
Winds picked up during the afternoon, as did wind transport of snow. Wind transport was moderate to intense above treeline on Loveland Pass, and moderate near treeline. On my drive back from the field, intense wind transport was noted above treeline in the Gore Range, Ten Mile Range, along Fremont Pass, and in the parts of the Sawatch visible from Leadville.
Snowpack
Adjacent to Exploder 6 High in Sister 6, the HS was generally 30cm and the snowpack consisted of a 5cm layer of wind-packed rounds over facets. This is fairly representative of the start zones in Sisters 1 and 2 low as well, where mitigation and the recent winds have greatly reduced the volume of snow. Travelling on E to SE aspects near treeline I was able to get localized collapsing on steep, wind-affected terrain features, however I was unable to get any snow to move. Snowpack observations revealed a faceting slab overlaying facets and depth hoar, with propagating ECT results immediately below the slab. See snowpit profile for more detail.