Front Range
AvalancheAmanda Loughlin · Feb 23, 2025 · Front Range
Weather
Warm, windy, clear to few skies and active snow transport.
Snowpack
Probing below tree line on southeast aspects around 10,000ft, I found the height of snow was around 170cm. Exposed south and east facing aspects had melt freeze crusts below and near tree line. When we arrived at Crater Lake, the west wind was moderate to strong with active snow transport. Various signs of wind effect were visible: a thin wind skin, breakable wind slabs, sastrugi and large wind drifted features. I experienced cracking on wind slabs that were more than 4cm thick. The snow I found immediately underneath breakable wind slabs was moist, likely from yesterday's sun.
Avalanche
I spoke with the party who intentionally triggered the small avalanche via a ski cut. They shared it broke about 10-15 feet across at the top with a 4–6-inch crown.