Front Range
SnowpackIan Fowler · Dec 17, 2024 · Front Range
Weather
It started out calm and overcast and around noon the snowglobe and wind machine turned on and it snowed at least S2 till we returned to the truck close to 3. Winds were out of the northeast moderate with strong gusts.
Snowpack
Below treeline the snowpack was mostly faceted but there is a firmer layer just above the ground that provides supportive travel. Near Treeline seems to have the most sensitive slabs. There is a pronounced layer of facets at the ground and about 20cm below the surface. The slab at the surface was pencil hard and failed on isolation or tap number 1 in and Extended Column Test. This pencil hard slab was quite varied through the terrain but I imagine it will build over the next 36 hours with strong winds and snow in the forecast. Above treeline the snow depth varies from talus to 2meters+. The aprons and gullies in the cirque below James Peak north face are well filled in and deep. A snow profile on a north aspect was 170cm deep and had some very hard layers and faceted layers were showing sign of rounding with small crystals (no depth hoar). The same layer buried on 12/9 was the primary layer of concern and was down 30cm under a knife hard layer. On a southeast aspect in the same area the snow was shallower (90cm) and had a Melt-Freeze crust down about 40cm with facets below. These facets failed at the ground on an ECT.