Front Range
AvalancheRyan Lewthwaite · Feb 4, 2020 · Front Range
Weather
New snow overnight was around 12 inches with very little wind. Cold start to the day at 0F with a high of 14F. The southwest winds were light with minimal snow transport. Scattered clouds.
Snowpack
With 8-12 inches overnight and light winds the new snow is mostly soft. Areas near and above treeline on south and east aspects had a surface wind skin that was breakable. On a southeast aspect below treeline the snowpack structure is a complex mixture of hard melt-freeze crusts and loose facets. Most concerning is just below the uppermost melt-freeze crust, 29cm deep, a layer of near-surface facets is reactive to collapsing. My snowpit was dug on a steep road cut and had loose dry avalanches adjacent to it.
Avalanche
Saw over 15 natural small Loose Dry avalanches on all aspects near and above treeline. The new snow did not appear to have been seriously effected by the wind, therefore slab formation was nil.