Front Range
SnowpackRon Simenhois · Nov 12, 2021 · Front Range
Weather
Strong winds from the NW with increasing clouds from the north.
Snowpack
The snowpack where I traveled (north to northeast aspects, below and near treeline) had a reactive four finger, 20-25 cm thick slab on top of a fist hard faceted layer with cracking and whumpfing. This slab developed in areas where the wind deposits snow. Specifically, I found this wind slab above rolls, near cliffs, and oriented horizontally concave slopes. This slab weak layer combo can advance self-sustaining crack propagation, but failure initiation points are somewhat harder to find. In areas where I did not find this slab, the snowpack seems supportive and stable. See snowpits for more details. Above treeline, there is very little snow.