Front Range
SnowpackIan Fowler · Feb 4, 2025 · Front Range
Weather
Warm and sunny, with some higher clouds stopping the sun's full intensity from making it through. Winds were lighter than expected.
Snowpack
Below treeline the snow was very thin with logs and stumps sticking through on southerly aspects. On east and northeast aspects the snowpack was closer to 1 meter. In all areas we traveled below treeline, there was no slab, and we could push our pole to the ground with little resistance. Snow was moist at this elevation and at the end of the day descending southwesterly slopes we were sinking in around half a foot. Near treeline on east and northeast aspects we consistently found 100-140cm of snow. The snowpack's surface had a couple of thin melt-freeze crusts, which seemed fragile but worth keeping an eye on if they get buried and develop facets. Large depth hoar grains propagated in Extended Column Tests at the base of the snowpack. This structure was widespread across the areas we visited. The structure was similar but shallower, 80-100cm, on a southeast aspect above treeline. A longer cut length on a propagation saw test indicates that the weak layer may be gaining strength on sunnier aspects. At higher elevations on a due south aspect the snow felt very homogenous. Above treeline, the wind had damaged the snow surface, and new snow will fall on various surfaces from thin sun crusts, sastrugi, and wind board. All surfaces were very firm.