Front Range
AvalancheEric Haskell · Nov 23, 2019 · Front Range
Weather
Clear skies, moderate temps, light winds with no visible snow transport.
Snowpack
Thin weak snowpack with a few inches of new snow from most recent storm. Loading on N through E slopes above treeline near ridgetops.
Avalanche
We observed 2 old very small natural wind slabs on E faces above treeline and a more recent wind slab near ridgeline on E face above treeline that looked like it run naturally in the last day or so but also may have been remotely triggered. We also observed a party of two traversing No Name Cirque, kicking cornices, and triggering several small loose snow avalanches that ran ~400' down a steep face. Among others, they dropped a half-twin-mattress size block down the face and got some propagation into wind slab near ridge-line and subsequently entrained other snow into loose snow avalanches. Wind slabs were 0.5' - 1.5' deep and prorogation was limited to 30' at most. The same party ski cut No Name resulting in a small wind slab that ran the extent of the face. East face 12,424' ASc-SS/L-R1-D1. Slide not pictured. Wind slabs reactive and specific to near ridgeline features resulting in relatively harmless slides unless you are in consequential terrain.