Most slopes around Berthoud Pass now have about 6-12 inches of snow. While this last storm finally covered most slopes, plenty of grass and logs were sticking out of the snow. Ski and Boot penetration went all the way to the ground. The new snow is low-density and will be able to be transported once the winds pick up. Even on more northerly-facing slopes that preserved some snow from mid and late October, there were about 1-2 inches of weak faceted snow. The new snow was still soft and hadn’t yet formed a slab over this small, weak layer.

Berthoud Pass

I parked at the top of Berthoud Pass the followed the road up to the summit of Mines Peak

The snowpack is mainly made up of early November snow, which covered up most of the rocks just enough to make things interesting on both the uphill and the downhill. On some northerly slopes, a very small amount of mid-to-late October snow remains, about an inch or two. I found an average depth of around a foot, from 11,800ft to 12,500ft. As I moved up in elevation, I found an inch-thick 1-Finger hard layer, which was somewhat supportive in areas. Areas with wind-drifted, hollow snow that supports your weight will be the most dangerous right now. In these “deeper” areas, the facets were already 1mm in size for 10cm to the ground, and snow pit tests got results from moderate taps (ECTP11) at this layer.

Overcast skies all day with intermittent light snow showers. Winds were light and variable throughout the day.