Front Range
AvalancheDaniel MacDonald · May 23, 2020 · Front Range
Weather
Virtually perfect, if you don’t mind the heat from full sunshine while bootpacking.
Snowpack
East-ish facing ATL was solid and consolidated. Tested multiple times on ascent and couldn’t punch my pole more than an inch or so. In final stretch to Pawnee summit, bootpacked (w crampons) and barely sank in, late afternoon on a full sun, minimal wind, warmish day. On descent, was a tad refrozen, but only the surface. No punch-through. Consolidated. But wet activity near rocks a/o cornices observed
Avalanche
Multiple natural loose wet, one almost slab-like (think it was boulder-indiuced) initiating from most southerly two of the three keyhole couloirs was obvious on the ascent (and impacted my remainder of day/descent decisions from Pawshoni/Pawnee). Also saw results of recent cornice collapse at unique feature just below tree-line (10.7K’) on ascent. A young, inquisitive moose was later observed (as I passed by the area on descent) checking it out.