Front Range
AvalancheAustin DiVesta · Jan 31, 2022 · Front Range
Weather
The morning started off cold, but temperatures quickly rose to 30s at the parking lot before I started to walk. Mostly sunny with a handful of high altitute clouds moving into the area from the SW. Once I got to near treeline the winds were moderate from the southwest.
Snowpack
The snowpack below the treeline was weak and shallow, with snow heights varying from 60cm to 80cm. The cold nights and warm temperatures have deteriorated most surface snow on all aspects below treeline. Once I started to move towards near treeline, I felt more wind-affected snow but was mostly in isolated pockets and would have small dinner plates break underfoot. The cracking underfoot was not widespread. For the most part, near treeline had soft snow on westerly-facing slopes. I dug a snowpit on this west aspect and found a snow height of 90-100cm. Not much of a surprise for the poor structure of a strong mid-pack sitting on top of 2-3mm depth hoar at the ground. An Extended Colum Test produced hard results to initiate the propagation (ECTP25@15cm) and a Propagation Saw Test produced PST 75/115 END. My skin track was getting filled back in while I dug my snowpit due to the moderate SW wind. I noticed 1-2 Loose Dry avalanches on the east-face of Seven Utes Mountian near treeline but isolated to extreme terrain under a cliff band.
Avalanche
A couple of small Dry Loose avalanches isolated to extreme terrain near a cliff band.