Front Range
SnowpackKeith Musselman · Feb 11, 2012 · Front Range
Weather
Calm to light wind. Partly cloudy. Temp. in the high teens to low twenties.
Snowpack
Twenty-degree slope 200 yards north of the top of Klondike Mountain. Snowpack depth varied from 0.5 meters to 1.5 meters depending on loading patterns from previous storms. Skinned onto a slight open bench (10 degree slope) with sparse trees. My weight (single skier and dog) caused a large collapse with shooting cracks and a significant rumbling (as opposed to a 'whompf'). Tree branches released from the pack as it displaced downwards (all of the lower branches on the trees surrounding me were 'bobbing'). Trees had cracks around their bases. Followed the prominent crack that formed uphill from my position horizontally along the slope for approx. 120 ft until I lost it. The undisturbed snowpack once again collapsed and a new crack shot out above the old one for another 100 ft. Lower tree branches again bobbed. Did not inspect for the downhill extent of the collapse. Dug a pit across the crack to see where the displacement was occurring. The persistent basal facets seemed to the cause and the vertical displacement was 2 to as much as 4 inches. No other cracking, collapsing or signs of instability were observed on other, lower angle aspects.