Front Range
AvalancheNic Vasquez · Nov 13, 2018 · Front Range
Weather
Dry Gulch TH to The Boulevard to Mt. Trelease south face Temp: 19-30* F Sunny with clouds and high winds around 12:30 Gusts up to 40MPH observed around 12:30 PM near the summit of Mt. Trelease
Snowpack
75 cm in depth just above tree line (~12,000') on the south face of Mt. Trelease. Pit and compaction tests revealed an unstable layer at the bottom of the snowpack beginning approximately 4-5 cm from the ground and extending to the ground. The unstable layer was comprised of faceted snow granules. See photos. Column compaction tests did not fracture at the weak layer. Instead, small fractures were observed at depths of 50 cm and 25 cm. Pit and compaction test analysis was used to make a determination of snow stability on the southern face of Mt. Trelease. We decided risk was low enough to skin up the south face of Mt. Trelease and ride down from approximately 50' below the summit. The upper 50' was more heavily wind loaded and therefore more high risk so we avoided travel on that area.
Avalanche
None observed or triggered