Front Range
AvalancheMike Wallace · Jan 22, 2024 · Front Range
Weather
Partly cloudy skies in the morning with temps in high teens (17 F) rapidly rising with solar input into the high 20's. Light winds from NW 5-10 mph.
Snowpack
Wind slab sitting on a layer of basal facets. Basal facet layer from ground up 40-50cm into the snowpack with the Slab resting above. Total snowpack 125-180 cm thick. High variability in depth around rock outcroppings and vegetation but with similar strong over weak structure.
Avalanche
We noticed a crown just under a cornice through the trees as we emerged from treeline on the West Fork road. It ran from the ridge line and looks to have sympathetically released another adjoining path as it ran, becoming one large avalanche. The debris field was very large and deep as it ran into a gully ending in a large bench. Debris was over 280 cm deep in the deepest location. We checked in with a group that was in the area earlier that morning around 0830 and they reported not seeing this avalanche. Our estimate is a cornice fall triggered it sometime between 9:00 am and 11:00 am. Avalanche previously coded here: https://avalanche.state.co.us/observations/field-report/b82bb733-dede-4cae-a96d-092bcfba9aa6