Front Range

Avalanche

Colorado Mountain School AIARE 1 · Jan 10, 2015 · Front Range

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Weather

Overcast skies and near freezing temperatures. Light to moderate winds @ 10,000 ft with little snow left to transport. No precipitation.

Snowpack

Height of snow generally ranging between 1m-1.5m. Many layers and persistent weak grains within snowpack with basal facets present and growing in size on northerly aspects. Southerly aspects showing less layering but facets present. Compression tests generally yielded clean fractures or sudden drop results at the 40cm (or basal layer in thinner snow areas) under moderate to hard force.

Avalanche

Observed evidence naturally triggered R3D1.5 hard slab @10,200 ft, NE, in Terrain Park. Crown estimated at 1' average and 75' wide. Estimated recent as crown showed minimal signs of deformity.