Front Range
SnowpackDrew Gibson · Mar 24, 2024 · Sawatch
Weather
A moody day in the alpine with mostly cloudy skies featuring periods of intense sun. Dark clouds with intense precipitation bands to the south threatened the area but didn't move in with force until 1500. Winds were mostly light and swirling at ridge crest for most of the day.
Snowpack
This is a tough spot because the wind never quits. Since the last upslope storm, the sun and the wind have done their work. Above treeline northerly planar slopes have been wind-hammered leaving sastrugi and in some places bare ground. Deeper terrain features (ex: cross-loaded gullies) have managed to hold on to some of the drifted snow which is a bit scary since we know there is old weak snow sitting under it. West-facing slopes are similar but the sun has come into play a bit. The recent snow has gained strength during the last period of mild weather but depending on the terrain feature and previous snow cover it's difficult to determine what the snow fell on (and the condition of it) and how that old snow is going to react. New snow and wind-loading will complicate things as they will bury the markers of shallower areas.