Front Range

Snowpack

Austin DiVesta · Jan 5, 2022 · Front Range

Weather

Overcast and windy all day. Snow observed at S1-. Lots of moving snow around. Winds were out of the west along with some terrain driven gusts. Did not get a clear look at near treeline, but little I did see plently of snow moving around.

Snowpack

I traveled below treeline all day due to strong winds near treeline and above treeline. I did not observe any signs of unstable snow, such as cracking and collapsing. I dug a snowpit on an east-facing slope at 10,000ft. The height of snow is 70cm snowpit observations revealed no propagation on an extended column test, but on a propagation saw test (PST) got 44/100 END on a facet layer below a crust that could become problematic once the slab gains more mass again. I moved a little further uphill at 10,700ft on a north-facing slope and the snowpack is a little bit deeper at 104cm, but a fairly similar structure to the east-facing slope I dug in. Snowpit observations on these slopes got medium propagation results and a PST 28/100 END. Slopes facing southerly directions still held relatively soft snow, but a couple of days of clear warm days started to create a small sun curst on the surface.