Front Range
AvalancheMike Cooperstein, Max Strotbeck · Dec 1, 2023 · Front Range
Weather
Cold day. Snowfall started around noon. Westerly winds were moderate at the ridgetops and were moving some snow. The visibility got really bad around 12:30 PM
Snowpack
The snowpack is weak and shallow. Most of the area is less than a foot deep, but there are a few spots in the trees where the snowpack was pushing 2 feet deep. There is no slab on any aspect that we could find even areas below the ridgeline and in the steep gullies on the face of South Diamond Peak that usually catch and hold wind-drifted snow were faceted top to bottom. Spots that were a little more easterly or southeast have a crust below the new snow. We didn't observe any cracking or collapsing on these crusts.
Avalanche
Not enough of a slab for avalanche propogation