Front Range
SnowpackIan Fowler · May 8, 2023 · Front Range
Weather
Partially cloudy skies and light to calm winds.
Snowpack
There was a good freeze overnight. Southerly aspects were pretty baked and at 9 am only the top five cm were soft and moist. With a firm crust below. The snow surface was still white where it had not slid. Close to ridgelines, there were some small pockets of windslab that were reactive to ski cuts and were sliding on decomposing stellars. This problem was very isolated and easy to see as they were the only pockets that hadn't slid or been affected by Wet Loose avalanches. Northerly aspects were still very white and the dust layer was about 40cm down below the surface. Above this dust layer, moist rounded grains led to some variably supportive crusts just below the surface. There is also a second dust layer about 15cm below the top dust layer. About 5cm of snow had accumulated and was preserved in sheltered and shady locations. This snow was very rimed/graupel and could be an issue where it has pooled below steep cliffs and where there is a sudden change in steepness. I did not find persistent weak layers on any aspects.