Front Range
SnowpackIan Fowler · Mar 2, 2022 · Front Range
Weather
In the morning there was a high wave cloud that was blocking the sun and kept things cool. By noon the sun passed the cloud and tempertures warmed up considerably. Winds were light from the west.
Snowpack
Below treeline and near treeline on unshaded south and southeast facing slopes, a thin sun crust had formed that supported my weight in certain areas. Once you progressed to slightly north of east, the crust disappeared. On due south, this crust was about 2-3cm thick. Below treeline, where there was more overhead canopy, the snow had no freeze overnight, and ski penetration was about 15cm on all aspects. The snowpack below the treeline was about 60 to 80cm deep. Facets were at the base of the snowpack for about 30cm and soft new or moist snow above. There was no slab and no failures in tests. South southeast facing slopes near treeline had a facet layer buried 30cm deep, propagating in an extended column test. The area I dug close to treeline was a deeper area of the snowpack. Only the top 5-10cm of the snowpack was becoming moist from warming in this location.