Front Range
AvalancheRobert Coppolillo · Dec 28, 2014 · Front Range
Weather
Longs Peak Cirque, N/NE, 11,200 to 12,200 approx; strong winds, swirling within cirque, W/NW aloft, but ground level was madness. Snow blowing up the couloir, across the lake, unpleasant to be out. Temps never out of mid-teens, down to approx 10F at 3:45....
Snowpack
Abso wind-hammered, storm snow is just gone. 1cm windskin on certain features, but most "drifts" are actually bulletproof. Nothing moving, save for surface windskin. Skied up to 45 degrees in the couloir, depth hoar at the talus/slabby rocks, but remainder of snowpack supportable but faceting--stomped on steeper sections, test slopes on the way in, nothing moving. Decent skiing, but grabby, occasional trap door, and too much wind/cold.
Avalanche
Observed an old (at least 24 hours) shallow slab, debris on approach trail. Small isolated feature on s-facing Mt. Lady Washington. Would've knocked somebody off the trail, but D 1.5--huge consequence right there, though.