Front Range
AvalancheNick Barlow, Scott Toepfer, Spencer Logan · Apr 13, 2017 · Front Range
Weather
Mostly clear, bit of a haze. Some convective clouds building thru the day
Snowpack
Not a great freeze night of Wednesday 4/12. At 0930AM, skin track was was crusty, but did not freeze well deeper than ~10 to 20cm. There is still structure in the upper 1m of the snowpack on N & NE aspects well above ATL. Multiple MF/old wind slabs, separated by rounding layers of near-surface facets. Some cleaner shears with ST/CT tests, but no propagation in big block tests. On sunnier slopes, snowpack seems to be draining relatively quietly. Only exception was a very steep pocket on a south aspect just below ridgetop (~13,200'), which was unsupportable and non-cohesive after 12pm. Loose Wet avalanches could be possible. They might be dangerous on steep, consequential terrain. Saw similar skier-triggered avalanches further west on more of an east aspect.
Avalanche
Ski cut across top of steep south aspect couloir. This triggered a small Wet Loose avalanche. I turned into the moving debris a couple turns further down slope. Knocked me off my stance. Dug ski edges into bed surface & stopped. Estimated I rode debris for 10 to 20 feet. Deepest portion of debris was maybe a foot deep, 20 feet wide.