Front Range
SnowpackMike Cooperstein · Dec 31, 2018 · Front Range
Weather
Colfd and overcast day with light snow. Moderate east northeast winds at the ridgeline. At 3:00pm the temperature dropped significantly and by the time we arrived back at the truck it was already -4 Fahrenheit.
Snowpack
Anything north facing near and below treeline is faceted. There has been a lot of wind so there are slabs built near and above treeline on easterly-facing aspects. In the bowls near the ridge there is evidence of wind-loading and slabs look a few feet thick. Large cornices hang over the ridgeline. On south-facing slopes the snowpack is thin and you can see the ground around rocky areas. We did observer recent loading on westerly slopes; however, in above treeline areas it is loading on to a spotty snowpack. Westerly-facing near treeline aspects will have small, less than one foot thick, slabs by morning. We found a facet crust combination buried 80 to 90 cm deep on southeasterly facing aspects this layer was reactive in snowpack tests.