Front Range
SnowpackJason Konigsberg · Feb 1, 2020 · Front Range
Weather
Cool and breezy at ridgetop with partly to mostly cloudy skies. Minimal snow transport.
Snowpack
The snowpack is mostly faceted below treeline. Near treeline I found a snowpack about 1 meter deep. An 18" slab rests on about two feet of faceted snow and depth hoar. The weakest layer is directly below the slab and this is where crack propagated in Extended Column Tests. This was on an east-facing slope. On a southeast-facing slope it wasn't much different. The main difference is several crust/facet combos are buried whereas on east slopes no crust were identified. All buried crusts on southeast facing slopes were fairly thin and some were hard to detect. The difference in structure in these two areas is not super relevant to stability now or in the future. Neither of these snowpacks will do well with a large load, yet for now the sensitivity to triggers is stubborn. Near treeline will be the most concerning elevation with a large loading event as the snowpack is much softer and lacks intermixed very hard slabs of snow from past wind events.