Front Range
SnowpackPaul Rogers · Dec 30, 2013 · Front Range
Weather
Winds 20 mph from NW, with moderate blowing snow above TL. Temps in low teens. Cloudy most of the day with intermittent sunshine.
Snowpack
At and above TL, storm snow was beginning to stiffen forming soft slabs, on leeward. Between fist and 1F hardness. Observed cracking and minor propagation (up to 1 meter) of new wind slab. Was also reactive to slope and pit tests, fracturing within storm snow and at interface of old/new on surface hoar and facets. Some wind loaded areas we tested, new wind slab was 1.5-2 feet thick. For the rest of the snowpack in this area - it was generally weak and faceted averaging around 100cm. You have to get pretty high into the alpine, or in specific wind loaded features at/above TL to find persistent slab in BPass region. But it's there and was reactive to tests both slope and pit tests and observed recent avalanche activity in area that proved this point. Also had numerous whumps, shooting cracks when traveling on S - ESE aspects today that does not give you much confidence on those aspects above 35 degrees. Still good skiing today - new snow was still very skiable even in the Alpine.