Front Range
AvalancheZach Taylor · Dec 21, 2016 · Front Range
Weather
Sunny with a mild breeze at treeline. Good visibility.
Snowpack
Snow was heavily wind affected at and above treeline elevations regardless of aspect and elevation (we toured primarily on N-E-S aspects at, above, and below treeline). There was a wind crust present in much of the 90s. Snow surfaces were extremely variable with wind crust, pencil to knife density hard slab and stellar/decomposing snow crystals all present and variable on the snow surfaces across the aspects and elevations we toured that are mentioned in more detail above. No whumping or cracking was observed though several avalanches had occurred over the previous night (see avalanche section of report).
Avalanche
The Current Creek Headwall slid D2.5, R5, hard slab, wind slab, natural release. Approximately 120 meters across by 70 meters down with a crown that varied between 15 cm and 60 cm in depth and was primarily east facing. The crown line started approx 12,000'. There were at least three decent sized avalanches that had occurred in the Ten Little Indians during this time as well (D2-R3 to R4), wind slab, hard slab, > treeline elevation that we observed yesterday as well. We toured to the top of Hidden Knoll on 12/19 with good visibility around 1130 and no avalanches had occurred in the area. When we returned around 1000 on 12/20 the natural cycle that caused the above avalanches had occurred presumably from the wind even over night 12/19-12/20.