Front Range
AvalancheEthan Davis · Apr 18, 2015 · Front Range
Weather
Bouts of heavier snowfall. Mostly heavily rimed snow and graupel. Wind was calm until near ridgetop. Rain in Estes Park, mostly snow from 9,000 ft and up.
Snowpack
Sunny east through south-facing slopes were mostly bare dirt before this storm below 10,000 ft. Now a heavy 9-18" of snow provided a skiable base. Above 10,000 ft 16-24" of snow seemed to bond well to the underlying snow surface. Snow was a bit top heavy but only minor cracking around skis on steep unsupported slopes. Wind drifts up to 3' thick were observed above treeline and especially near and below ridges facing northwest and west.
Avalanche
No avalanches were observed aside from several roof-avalanches. Visibility was poor.