Front Range
SnowpackAustin DiVesta · Feb 9, 2023 · Front Range
Weather
Cold and mostly cloudly for most of the day with winds out of the north. Some short periods of intense February sun lasted only a couple of minutes at most.
Snowpack
Snow totals in Current Creek ranged from three inches in sheltered below treeline areas to six inches or more in drifted areas near treeline. Snow heights on most slopes range from 120cm to 150cm. On northerly slopes, continue to hold cold snow with mostly 4 Finger to 1 Finger hard snow. I found the November facet layer around 50cm from the ground in my snow pit profile. This is still the main concern for the area. My Extended Column Test (ECT) produced a medium hard propagation result on this layer (ECTP14@50cm). It is hard to tell if this layer is starting to heal or if it is just waiting for the right load to reawaken. I noted that east-facing slopes near treeline had a 1-2cm melt-freeze crust on them. Another snow pit profile on a south-facing slope told an entirely different story. The upper 50cm comprises a plethora of melt-freeze crusts formed around a week ago. I noted percolation columns in a good portion of the pit walls. My ECT resulted in the propagation on top of one of these melt-freeze crusts at 90cm (ECTP15@90cm). On more exposed southerlies, the north winds built fresh cornices, which were easily triggered as I moved closer to them, which is the only place I saw cracking within the new snow.