Front Range
SnowpackZach Taylor · Dec 1, 2012 · Front Range
Weather
partly cloudy with lowest cloud cover approximately 13,000'. No snow with ridgetop winds gusting 30s.
Snowpack
-1-2 feet deep (variable), comprised primarily of a knife to pencil hard windslab sitting on facets. Approximately upper third of snowpack comprised of hard slab, lower 2/3s composed primarily of facets with a crust near the basal layer. This was on east to NE slopes at and above treeline in the Diamond peaks area above Cameron pass. -One pit dug was 33cm deep and presented with approximate composition described above. Shovel Shear test sheared with very hard force (two strong hands) with a Q3 shear that was convoluted and lacked energy at the slab/facet interface 10-13cm deep to surface. ECT never failed. Absolutely no crack propagation in test. No visible avalanche activity. -Although avalanche danger reflected the low forecast presented by CAIC the snowpack composition was dramatically different than I have observed in the area earlier this fall. There was a dramatic increase in faceted snow driven by kinetic metamorphism that has occured in the area over the last two weeks. Several weeks ago the snowpack in the same area had some faceting concentrated just below and above a basal crust with the majority of the snowpack being comprised of a slab sitting on the weak layer. Today the lower 2/3s of the snowpack had faceted since I last visited the area two weeks ago. More treed areas had faceted from the basal layer all the way to the surface in places. -If we do actually get snow this season we may be fortunate in many areas to not have facets in the basal layer due to lack of early season snowfall. This area will not be so fortunate. Although the current slabs lack energy, when the next snow cycle happens I would expect the leeward aspects of the Diamond peaks area specifically (and Cameron pass generally) to be one of the most dangerous, unstable, and avalanche prone areas in the state.