Front Range

Cold and very windy.

The snowpack is fully faceted below treeline with a snow depth of about 50 cm. Although you can find thin midpack crusts in places, and weak snow below, the snowpack is entirely weak and shallow so there isn't a particular weak layer of concern. Any storm that deposits a thick, cohesive slab would result in easily triggered avalanches. Near treeline, the snowpack was similar to below treeline. It was hard to find a slab. I didn't find a structure that was concerning enough to perform any stability tests. I didn't get above treeline with the strong winds and limited visibility. With the amount of snow moving I would suspect that some slopes are being loaded by the strong winds. The above treeline slopes that I was able to see looked thin and looked more wind-hardened and scoured than loading, but again, I didn't travel at this elevation, so I have low confidence in the distribution of newly drifted slabs. Most due north and northwest-facing slopes were stripped of snow. From what I found on more exposed near treeline slopes, I suspect the snowpack structure is comprised of harder wind-packed layers with weak layers that are more disturbed and less continuous than lower elevations.