Front Range
AvalancheAustin DiVesta · Dec 11, 2022 · Front Range
Weather
The weather at the trailhead was warm and sunny. Once I moved to more exposed areas near and above treeline, winds picked up. Mid-morning winds were driven by the terrain, but towards the afternoon, winds became strong out of the south. Winds also kept the snow surface cold.
Snowpack
The West Fork of Clear Creek ranges from bare ground to over just over three feet of snow. North and northeast-facing slopes hold around 50cm-100cm of snow. By probing the snow below treeline, I found that there wasn’t a slab resting on top of old, weak snow, just weak sugary snow. Near treeline and above treeline, a stiffer slab starts to form. In my snowpit on a northeast slope at 11600ft, I found a 4 Finger hard slab resting on top extremely weak depth hoar near the ground. An Extended Column Test produced moderated propagation results (ECTP12) 33cm from the ground. I moved around the basin to more southeast and south-facing slope. I dug another snowpit in a wind-loaded southeast-facing slope at 12000ft and found an approximately 40cm thick stiff (Pencil on the hand hardness scale) slab resting on top of facets. An Extended Column Test again produced moderate propagation results (ECTP12) 70cm from the ground.
Avalanche
I noticed several avalanches with in the West Fork Basin mostly near and above teeline. Some of these avalanches are already coded.