Front Range
AvalancheJeff Dobronyi, IFMGA Mountain Guide · Dec 5, 2022 · Front Range
Weather
Between 0800-1200, OVC skies, S2, light W winds BTL increasing to steady moderate W winds near treeline. Wind loading was limited to ATL in this area, NTL snow surface was not wind affected. HN at 0800 was 5cm at 9400', 15cm at 11,000' at 0900.
Snowpack
E aspects in Hidden Valley: BTL, HS averaged 30cm. NTL, HS averaged 70cm with deeper pockets around 100cm. ATL was variable, but I pole probed some wind drifts over 150cm deep. Less than 30cm in other spots ATL. BTL, snowpack was faceted and unsupportable. NTL was most concerning, with a soft F-->4F slab of recent HST around ~30cm thick over facets. I observed one collapse with shooting cracks, skiing over a convexity onto ~27 degree slope, E aspect 11,000'. Whole slope cracked and spider-webbed but release arrested. Shooting cracks about 10 meters in each direction at top of slope. Whumphing observed ATL.
Avalanche
None observed.