Grand Mesa
SnowpackMatt Huber · Apr 6, 2020 · Grand Mesa
Weather
Warm and windy. Skies were mostly clear but the wind kept the temperatures feeling cool and surfaces supportive during the trip. Winds were strong enough to sway treetops, but frozen or wet snow surfaces limit blowing snow.
Snowpack
On protected northerlies at 10,500 feet, the snowpack is about 130-150 centimeters deep. Storm snow that fell since March 18 makes up the top third of the snowpack with a very defined faceted interface that produces moderate propagating Extended Column Tests, ECTP16 on 2 mm facets. The snowpack below is entirely faceted and dry, 5-6 mm depth hoar near the ground. On southerlies and sunnier aspects, the top 40 centimeters was supportive over wet melt forms to the ground. Free flowing water has made it through the entire snowpack on southerly aspects near and below treeline.