Front Range
SnowpackAndrew McWilliams Amanda Loughlin · Jan 14, 2025 · Front Range
Weather
A few clouds turned into broken skies with light winds from the north. Temperatures were in the single digits.
Snowpack
We were targeting near treeline, northeast, east, and southeast-facing slopes. The snow depth averaged just over a meter with thin areas closer to 50cm and deep drifts exceeding two meters. We performed Extended Column Tests (ECTs) in all of our snowpits. The results were similar in each pit. We either found propagating results after blows from the shoulder or no results. Our propagating results were always below the snow slab from late December to early January. Our pit on a southeast and east-facing slope also had non-propagating results in a layer of decomposing fragments directly below a wind-packed layer about 15cm from the surface. In our Propagation Saw Tests (PSTs), we had results propagate to end after cut lengths that ranged from about 40cm to 27cm. We tested the December Drought layer and a lower interface only a few centimeters above the ground. We observed no cracking or collapsing during our travels. These results tell me that even though obvious signs of instability are decreasing and the snowpack is showing signs of becoming more stubborn to triggers, you can still trigger a slide if you find the right place on a slope. If you do trigger a slide that fails below the Dec/Jan slab, it will likely be a large or very large avalanche. Multiple people could ride a slope without finding a trigger point.