Front Range
SnowpackAustin DiVesta JP Pickell · Mar 2, 2025 · Front Range
Weather
It was a sensational spring-like day: warm temperatures and light winds out of the west.
Snowpack
Despite the warm spring-like temperatures this past week, the snowpack remains winter-like. We found varying snow heights from 150 to 100cm on a northwest-facing slope near treeline. The upper snowpack is relatively right-side-up, with a slab that rests on top of weak snow near the ground. Extended Column Tests produced hard results both at the ground and in the weak snow 30 cm up from the ground. On an east-facing slope near treeline, we noticed wet snow at the surface, which extended down about 10-15cm. The snow heights ranged from 100cm to 150cm as we probed around. The snow profile here had gained significant strength due to the higher sun angle and warm temperatures than the more northerly-facing areas we dug today. We did not get any propagation in long-column tests. As we moved to a northeast-facing slope, we saw a thin melt-freeze crust on the surface as the sun dipped behind the mountain, and things started to cool a bit. We probed around and found snow heights ranging from 150 to 180cm. The solar radiation also made the top 10-15 cm wet. Extended Column Tests produced no propagating results (ECTX) as the weak basal layer slowly gained strength. In the areas we traveled today, any slope tilting more to the south was very thin. These spots had patchy snow if any snow at all.