Front Range

Avalanche

Colin Wann · Jan 25, 2017 · Front Range

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Weather

Relatively calm BTL with Moderate winds with strong gusts from the West NTL and above. The air temps were cold. Skies were obscured by airborne snow and partial cloud cover.

Snowpack

BTL depositions were up to 10" with the surface conditions quickly turning to windslab in exposed areas/elevations. NTL leeward terrain barely preserved new storm snow, with surface conditions stiffening during the day. ATL areas with exposure to wind were hard windslab easily triggered by skier weight. It felt like Moderate+ today, with pockets of Considerable.

Avalanche

I intentionally triggered two D1 slides in steep NTL terrain. The failures propagated across localized loaded areas but new snow didn't have enough depth/cohesion to go bigger.