Front Range
SnowpackPaul Rogers · Dec 20, 2014 · Front Range
Weather
Sky obscured. Temp 17-20 F. Precip S-1. Winds Calm. Little or no blowing snow observed.
Snowpack
Observed snowpack similar to Spencer's obs from Pumphouse area on 17th. Snowpack observations at TL on North and East aspects. Height of snowpack 80cm. Upper snowpack 20-30cm very low density new snow from recent storms. Lower snowpack consisted of depth hoar and facets and observed rounding in lower snowpack. Midpack contained a 10-15cm 1F faceted layer with decomposing crusts above and below this layer. Foot pen barely held at this mid-pack layer and with slightly more pressure, went to ground. This layer did support skiing fortunately. Compression test did get initiation (moderate) above/below this mid-pack layer but they did not propagate at all - non planar/irregular. Excellent skiing for this time of year on all aspects, especially on Northerly slopes.