Grand Mesa
AvalancheDylan Craaybeek, Brandon Levy · Feb 5, 2022 · Grand Mesa
Weather
10F at Sunlight around 9:00 AM with Clear sky and Calm winds. Sky remained Clear all day with an occasional Light Breeze above 10,000 feet. Temperature warmed to low 30s F around 2:00 to 3:00 PM. No observed snow transport throughout the ride and no observed snow transport along the ridgeline of the Raggeds.
Snowpack
Southerly slopes are melting. Below about 9,000 feet south-facing slopes hold discontinuous snow coverage with a thick melt-freeze crust (MFcr) on the surface. Above 9,000 feet southerly aspects have an average height of snow (HS) varying between 50-100cm with a 1-3cm thick MFcr on the surface. HS on northerly aspects was around 1 meter below 9,000 feet and 120-150cm above 9,000 feet. A noticeable MFcr exists on northeast and east-facing slopes about 20 cm below the surface, likely buried on Jan. 7. Well-developed depth hoar (DH) and facets (FC) can still be found at the bottom of the snowpack on northerly and east-facing slopes but are insulated by a hard (1F to P) slab 50-100cm thick and unreactive to snowpack tests.
Avalanche
No avalanches observed.