Front Range
SnowpackIan Fowler · Feb 27, 2024 · Front Range
Weather
Snow was blowing around extensively, and winds were strong, gusting to extreme. It was hard to tell if snow was falling or just being blown. The temperatures were very cold.
Snowpack
Below the treeline there was about 150 to 180cm of snow. Probing this snow it felt mostly firm without any surprising pops until very close to the ground. Storm totals were about 15 to 20cm in sheltered areas and upwards of 40cm where the wind was drifting snow. Below the treeline, the snow was not slabby yet, and in shovel tilt tests and compression tests, the new snow just fell apart or got smushed. On an easterly aspect close to the treeline, I got some broken failures at a layer about 45cm below the surface but no propagation. The avalanches that we triggered were failing above a melt-freeze crust under the new snow, and the slabs were poorly bonded to that crust. I was unable to observe if there were facets at the crust.