Front Range
AvalancheMike Cooperstein · Dec 26, 2016 · Front Range
Weather
Overcast, cold and windy for most of the day. Very light snowfall until about 3pm. The skies began to clear around 4pm.
Snowpack
In the alpine areas the snowpack is composed of a soft wind slab approximately 20cm thick over a stiff slab that ranges from 60cm to about 120cm thick. This hard slab rests over a 20cm layer of very weak faceted crystals on the ground. Near treeline, the snowpack is 130-150cm thick. The slab is thicker, the weak layers are buried much deeper and seem to be less reactive.
Avalanche
A very large avalanche released on the south Diamond Peak at Cameron pass on 12-24-2016. The original observation is here. http://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/obs/obs_report.php?obs_id=43721 I was able to speak with a witness who watched the event occur and he stated that "The avalanche propagated from the north end of the peak to the south. There were tracks on the face from 12-23-2016 and other parties in the area, but I think a cornice fall caused the slide."