Front Range

Windy cold and snowing.

The alpine has been so damaged by the wind that there is very little consistent snow up high. In the Dead Elk couloir, it is possible to probe 3 meters without feeling a weak layer (second-hand report, I got blown away). Snow was drifting onto easterly aspects, but loading was not very effective. At the top end of the treeline, I dug on an east-facing slope with about 80cm of snow. Snow in this area was predominantly facets of varying sizes and hardnesses. I did find an old crust in the snowpack, maybe from Christmas warmth or wind, but it was very weak and variable. I did get one propagating result in the crust, but given the variability, it wouldn't likely propagate widely. Near and below treeline drifting was more effective, but cracking in the snow was only about 1 to 2 inches deep.