Grand Mesa
AvalancheBrandon Levy · Feb 8, 2023 · Grand Mesa
Weather
Calm and cool on Grand Mesa. Sunshine was starting to feel intense by early afternoon and the cloud cover was starting to increase by 1400.
Snowpack
The snowpack on Grand Mesa is deep--around 2 meters on the ground on the north-facing slopes above SH65. Several extended column tests produced moderate, propagating results on a persistent weak layer buried about 30cm below the snow surface (ECTP 12 x 3 down about 30cms on 1 to 2 mm FC and 6mm SH). The weak layer is composed of flattened surface hoar and faceted grains. Not much of a slab overlying this weak layer at the moment.
Avalanche
We observed several loose wet avalanches on steep cutbanks on the southside of the Grand Mesa. None of these reached the road and all were D1.