Field Report
Front Range - CO
Report Information
On north and northeast aspects near and above treeline only the top 2-3 inches of snow had become moist and on straight north there was still cold dry snow at the surface. There were no weak layers of note in the upper meter of the snowpack on any aspects I observed. Generally speaking most surfaces going into the next storm will be melt freeze crusts or wind blasted surfaces and sastrugi. The only possible concern was snow pockets of graupel randomly distributed on north aspect.
From the east portal trailhead we traveled up to the cirque behind Haystack Mountain under the north face of James Peak. We skied most aspects around the bowl.
Avalanche
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Date | # | Elev | Asp | Type | Trig | SizeR | SizeD | Problem Type | Location |
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04/15/2025
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1 | TL | E | L | N | R1 | D1.5 | Loose Wet |
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Date and Time
04/15/2025 -
12:00pm
(estimated)
Location
39.855
-105.72
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Snowpack
Generally, the snowpack in this area is transitioning slowly but without major concerns. There has been a lot of loss of depth below treeline and I had to walk the first 1/4mile from the trailhead.
On northerly aspects, the upper snowpack mainly consists of rounded grains that are 1 finger hard and have not seen much melt water yet. Near Treeline, there was a crust from an earlier surface warm-up about 1 foot deep. Basal facets would be the primary layer of concern if water gets that deep but that is over 2 meters away in most areas. Surfaces above treeline on north aspect were still winter like with wind pressed slabs, sastrugi and some soft dappled snow. Some pockets of graupel with a slab over them were resistant in tests but would still be worth keeping an eye out for. These were fairly randomly distributed throughout the terrain.
On easterly aspects, the top foot of the snowpack was pretty wet at 3 p.m., and I was able to push some Loose Wet avalanches, but the terrain needed to be very steep. There are a couple of high crusts in the upper snowpack where water could pool.
On a southerly aspect above treeline the snowpack was moist or wet throughout. There was a slab of rounds in the midpack that were wet and probably draining water as the basal facets were already wet and clumpy.
Below treeline the snowpack stayed supportive to skis to the end of the day at 4pm. At this elevation the snowpack feels isotermic and well drained.
Weather
Warm and sunny but a steady breeze kept temperatures in check.