Front Range
SnowpackAustin DiVesta · Dec 16, 2021 · Front Range
Weather
Observed very windy conditions and moderate to intense wind loading on N-NE-E facing slopes today. High altitude clouds moved into the areas around 1pm.
Snowpack
I traveled on NW-N-E facing slopes today above treeline. Winds from the last two days created a very stiff wind slap. After skiing one slope, my skin track was being filled back in a short amount of time. On a north-facing slope, I dug a snowpit that was 130cm deep in a wind-loaded area. There is a stiff slab in the top 75cm of the snowpack that is on top of weaker faceted snow. While the facets varied in hardness, a notable layer was the bottom 20cm of the snowpack that was well-developed depth hoar (2-4mm). Snowpit observations a midpack crust/facet combination which produced moderate propagation results. East-facing slopes held a similar snowpack structure. Today’s other notable observations include how far down the wind transported the snow. These strong winds are moving snow further downslopes. I have higher confidence in the Wind Slab problem on northerly slopes. While snowpit observations did not break into the weaker facets, the basal layer of depth hoar still worries me that if someone hits the right spot, it’ll take the entire snowpack out with it. I did not notice any significant signs of instabilities. Still, I did have small isolated cracking underneath my skis when I was breaking trail.