Front Range
AvalancheRyan Lewthwaite · Feb 16, 2020 · Front Range
Weather
Overcast skies and 21F degrees. Heavy snow rates of S5 with consistent graupel for several hours. The west winds below treeline were light with moderate gusts and plenty of blowing snow.
Snowpack
New snow measured 6-8 inches by noon. The moderate west winds were actively blowing snow. Graupel fell at a rate of S5 for a few hours. The surface snow was soft but a wind firmed subsurface was 1F hardness in exposed areas. The snowpack has a good structure, above the 56cm of basal depth hoar. The wind effected areas were variable in thickness from 3-10cm, and lacked supportability in most places.
Avalanche
Found a uniquely long avalanche along SH-125 Willow Creek Pass Rd. The avalanche occurred parallel to the road, on an embankment, in a private ranch. The crown was primarily less than 3 feet deep, but the length of propagation was impressive, almost a half mile. The steepness of the slope was less than 35 degrees the entire length. The buried persistent weak layers are sensitive to new snow loading in shallow snowpacks.