Front Range
AvalancheJeff Welch · May 11, 2015 · Front Range
Weather
Sky cover varied from overcast to broken. Mild temps, light to moderate W winds.
Snowpack
Dug pit on NNE aspect, below treeline, 35* slope. 150cm snow depth. Approx 6" of fresh, cold dry snow over a thin melt/freeze crust. Below that was another 6" of 4F hardness, wet and saturated snow comprised of rounded grains with free water present. The remainder of the snowpack was consistent moist, rounded grains, 1F hardness. ECTN4 on top of the melt freeze crust, ECTN14 below the wet snow. Both were progressive compression, Q2 failures with no propagation.
Avalanche
Observed very minor point-release sloughs in the cold, dry snow on small 35* rolls. Did not ski any steeper slopes, nor did the sloughs gouge into the wet snow (though I felt they could have on steeper/bigger slopes). Observed an R1D1.5 slide from the road in an area known as the Fingers (NW aspect at treeline) and another R1D1.5 slide on Second Creek Headwall near Frankenstein and Soul Line, E aspect above treeline. Trigger unknown for both, and both appeared to have involved only the new snow and initiated as point releases.