Front Range

Avalanche

Mike Cooperstein · Mar 18, 2016 · Front Range

Weather

The sky cover was mostly overcast but there were periods where I could see the sun through high clouds. Most of the day alternated between periods of no snowfall and periods of S-1 snowfall. Temperature was were in the low to mid teens. Near and below treeline winds were 5 to 10 miles per hour for most of the day but periodic stronger gusts would bow the new snow out of the trees.

Snowpack

In areas that I traveled near and below treeline the snowpack seemed relatively stable. It consisted of between 12 to 16 inches of storm snow on top of a hard crust and then rounded grains. I did not see any near surface faceted crystals and there was no collapsing or cracking. I also did not see any wind slabs near treeline.

Avalanche

I saw a few Loose Dry avalanches in isolated terrain near treeline. These avalanches were very small and were not large enough to knock a rider off their feet.