Front Range

Avalanche

Mike Cooperstein · Jan 31, 2019 · Front Range

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Weather

Clear warm and calm day in the Front Range. No new wind loading. Temperatures were no affecting the surface snow.

Snowpack

We found a few poorly developed faceted layers in the top 50cm on southeast and east-facing aspects that were reactive in snowpack tests; however, it required a lot to get them to fail. There is plenty of evidence of previous wind loading on all easterly-facing aspects with hard hollow wind slabs at higher elevations below the ridgelines. There are still facets buried deeper in the snowpack but they are getting buried deeper and are gaining strength. The top of the depth hoar is the weakest spot in the lower snowpack. Below treeline we found mostly facets with no slab. In steeper areas you would just fall through to the ground. Westerly-facing slopes above treeline are stripped to bare ground. you can find previous wind-loading in many open easterly-facing areas near and above treeline.

Avalanche

One small R1-D1 on a steep southeast-facing rocky ridge line.