Front Range
AvalancheJeff Welch · Jan 5, 2017 · Front Range
Weather
Overcast, snowing S2-S4 at 10am, slowly lifted to S1 by dusk. Moderate winds from the W-NW, transporting some snow near treeline. Cold, 10*F at 10am falling to 0 by dusk.
Snowpack
New snow depth varied from 6" to 24" depending on aspect and wind effect. Observed minor to moderate cracking in new snow, though none propagated very far. Felt and heard one collapse in low angle, SE facing terrain near treeline, in a small open meadow.
Avalanche
R1 D1 storm slab avalanches were easy to trigger in terrain steeper than 35 degrees, on all aspects, near and below treeline. The size of these slabs was generally contained by local terrain features (tree to tree, or between rocks). Interestingly, all of the storm slabs we intentionally triggered ran on a density change in the new snow, not at the new/old interface. Crown depths ranged from 4-6". We triggered small slabs on W, N, and E aspects although I have no doubt we would have found similar results on other aspects as well. We did not see any natural activity although visibility of the larger paths was limited.