Front Range
AvalancheMike Cooperstein · Jan 5, 2020 · Front Range
Weather
Day started off clear but windy. Winds calmed throughout the day. Stratocumulus clouds started building in around 1:00PM. No precipitation.
Snowpack
Snowpack near and below treeline was variable. The thinner wind sheltered or rocky areas were composed of 30-50 centimeters of faceted crystals with no slab. More wind affected areas had a deeper stronger snowpack almost 140 centimeters in places. The only place there was enough snow to ride above treeline was in steep gullies that catch and hold snow. There were few signs of instability in the areas we traveled.
Avalanche
We saw one small natural avalanche on an east-facing slope, that looks like it broke at the interface between the most recent new and wind-drifted snow and the old snow surface. We have found a small faceted layer at this interface in other areas in the Front range zone. This avalanche appears to be a couple of days old.