Front Range
SnowpackAndrew Carlson · Dec 5, 2013 · Front Range
Weather
Clear skies, very still crisp air. A slight breeze started in the afternoon around 2pm, switching direction frequently and at most gusting up to 5mph. Left area around 2:30pm.
Snowpack
Dug pit and did compression and sheer tests on 30cm columns, mid slope in the open ~25 degree slope. Compression test broke weak layer on 6th hard swing from elbow, but column didn't slide. Sheer test required a fair bit of pressure to cause column to fail. 0-26 cm fresh unconsolidated powder 26-31 cm hoar crystals, 1-2 mm in diameter 31-32 cm weak crust, (melted and bonded hoar crystals?) 32-34 cm hoar crystals, 1-2 mm in diamter 34-100 cm (ground) rounded bonded grains Some areas had a soft ~1cm windcrust on top of the loose powder. After positive test results we continued to above last set of trees, did quick reassessment of snow. Cornice above is small and hard (visual only, stayed about 20-30 m away, with scourning almost to ground underneath. Skied the trees and then back toward skin track, doing multiple laps, loading slope gradually from N to S with a total of ten runs. No incidents or sloughs, but stayed off anything steep.