Front Range
SnowpackNick Barlow · Dec 21, 2017 · Front Range
Weather
Mostly clear and calm from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. Clouds arrived after 3:00pm, with S2-S3 observed. Calm winds.
Snowpack
Minor cracking in isolated spots, but otherwise no signs of instability or avalanches. I traveled on N through E to SE-facing slopes at all elevation bands. I did not gain higher ridges/peaks, which top out near 13,000ft. I observed a thin, variable, and weak snowpack in this zone. Snowpack depth ranged from 20cm to 80cm. The snowpack was deepest NTL. Most of the snowpack was composed entirely of faceted grains. I observed melt/freeze crusts in the middle and lower portions of the snowpack. On N/NE-facing slopes, these crusts were brittle, crumbly, and faceting. On E-facing slopes, the crusts were stronger and even supportable. E-facing slopes NTL are the most suspect once a new load storm or wind-drifted snow arrive.