Front Range

Snowpack

Paul Haraf · Dec 8, 2022 · Front Range

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Weather

Blustery, cold day -12C with limited visibility NTL/ATL. Moderate wind transporting snow and reloading start zones. Weather was starting to ease up at around 10:30am with the sun starting to make an appearance around 11:30 as I departed.

Snowpack

Punchy snow while skinning with cracking and whumping near start zones. Released wind slabs on several test slopes on E and NE facing aspects. Bluster west winds reloaded start zones and I returned an hour later to have the same result of shooting cracks releasing wind slabs. These did not step down onto the facet layer. Pit profile and snowpack tests on NE facing slope revealed ECTPV and PST25/100 (End) on a facet layer 36cm deep extending to the ground. Average HS 70-80cm NTL.