Front Range
SnowpackEli Helmuth · Dec 18, 2012 · Front Range
Weather
Very calm with no visible wind transport, moderate temps, and thick cloud cover with intermittent light snow during this 4 hour tour 11am-3pm.
Snowpack
Variable depths w/ averages between 50-100cm in this zone between Bear and Emerald Lakes in the Tyndall Gorge. Most of the snowpack was new snow from this 24hr. period. Found sensitive conditions immediately after gaining terrain >30 w/ deep and large propagating fractures up to 60m lengths in small terrain and continuous whumping/collapses for the first hour of this tour in mostly E-N aspects below and in treeline terrain. Snowpack averaged 75cm in this zone w/ 50cm being new snow, well-bonded to approx. 20cm old snow over 5cm depth hoar layer. Long fractures all went to this depth hoar as the bonds between new and old snow seemed good due to warm conditions. Today's tour found maybe the most sensitive depth hoar layer I've yet seen in this zone in a dozen years?