Front Range
AvalancheAustin DiVesta · Apr 12, 2023 · Front Range
Weather
Warm, sunny, and very breezy. Winds were out of the west-southwest ahead of the incoming system moving into the area, yet it was not enough to keep the snow surface cool even in above treeline.
Snowpack
The overall impression around Montgomery Pass was we are still transitioning to spring. Overnight temperatures did not reach freezing levels around Cameron Pass, so I was expected to see punchy conditions in my ascent. Still, I was surprised to find a supportable snowpack even off the main trail. Boot penetrations were only about 10cm at most, even towards the end of the day. The entire surface was wet on easterly-facing slopes near treeline, but I did not find any water percolation deeper than about the top 15cm. These slopes had vastly different snow heights. One wind-drifted pit on an east slope had a 357cm depth, while about 200 meters away on a more northeast-facing slope, there was only 136cm of snow. Today's pits I dug had the prominent dusty layer from April Fools within 20cm of the surface. Over the last several warming periods, meltwater moved through the upper snowpack and created at least two distinct ice layers, one about 40cm from the surface and another about 70-80cm. The one major thing to note about these pits is the northeast pit still had some weak facets towards the ground but is healing. I only saw rollerballs around small rocky outcroppings and underneath cornices around the pass.
Avalanche
Small Wet Loose avalanches on the south and west face of Clark Peak.