Front Range
AvalancheAmanda Loughlin · Jan 13, 2024 · Front Range
Weather
Cold, very windy, and obscured. Very difficult to see above treeline due to intense snow transport and clouds. The wind was most intense at the base of Banana Bowl.
Snowpack
The snowpack is quite wind effected. I measured Height of Snow (HS) of 20cm at the trailhead and it ranged between 60cm to over a meter in wind loaded areas. I found a 2cm wind skin near the trailhead and fully supportable wind slabs at different points on the trail. I found my tracks completely filled in when descending the junction between the Fern Lake and Flattop Trail. A snowpit dug on northeast aspect below treeline revealed over 20cm of depth hoar with a combination of faceted, decomposing, and rounded grains above. The surface layer was a soft wind slab and boot penetration went down 80cm on a 99cm snowpack. An Extended Column Test (ECT) fully propagated at 60cm ECTP12 on a layer of fist hard facets.
Avalanche
I observed multiple small D1 slides on wind drifted snow on top of large boulders.