Front Range

Snowpack

Ian Fowler · Dec 11, 2025 · Front Range

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Weather

Partially cloudy with moderate westerly winds.

Snowpack

On south, southeast and east aspects near and below treeline there is about 40 to 50cm of snow. The general structure is a weak base of faceted snow, a mid-pack slab, and soft or wind-blown snow at the surface, with a thin rain crust. Below treeline the mid-pack slab is 4 finger hard and this increases with height and wind exposure and on easterly aspects near treeline the slab was 1 finger and pencil hard. On both east and southeast aspects near treeline got moderate propogating Extended Column Test results. Above treeline on a northeast aspect, I probed a wind drift of snow in the Corner Pocket, and the structure was similar, but the mid-pack was a pencil-hard slab, and the depth was closer to 1 meter. Above treeline has been really windblown, and there is not much continuous snow apart from gullies and terrain features that catch it.