Front Range
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Jan 22, 2021 · Front Range
Weather
13 to 17 cm of new snow. The new snow is very low-density. Light drifting at ridgetop. Very calm near treeline. A mix of sun and clouds with mild-feeling temps.
Snowpack
I observed a couple small collapses below treeline but overall no significant signs of instability. Starting below treeline I found a snow depth of about 90 cm, similar to other parts of the Front Range. The snowpack is supportable to skis. Boot pen is to the ground. With last night's snow, we now have a foot of snow sitting on recently buried near surface facets. On southeast, below treeline, there is a thin and fragile crust above the facets. The slab is very soft and is not cohesive enough to communicate a fracture. It will likely take more snow and time for it to settle for this weak layer to come into play. Alternatively, 8 to 10 inches of dense snow could tie things together. Overall, the below treeline snowpack has poor structure and we will see easily triggered avalanches with a major loading event. Near treeline, the snowpack is about 130 cm deep. This is also similar to the snow depth up near Cameron Pass. The same knife-hard wind-packed layer is buried about 30 cm from the surface. Faceting below this layer is not as bad as lower elevations. Near treeline, older weak layers are much stronger than below treeline. It is also harder to affect these deeply buried layers with the hard wind layer and also a thicker mid-pack slab. The upper end of below treeline may be the most dangerous area with significant storm. This elevation has very weak snow, a mid-pack slab that can hold a little weight, but still a soft snowpack from top to bottom.
Avalanche
One small Loose Dry avalanche ran off of Mt Trelease during the time I was out there.