Observations

Front Range – Peak 3 to 4

Red flags (obvious signs of instability):

• None observed

Weather:

• Mostly sunny with temps in the upper 20s and moderate SE wind in the morning becoming calm by midday

Surface conditions:

• Widespread wind-affected snow with generally supportable wind slab, areas of pleasantly carve-able wind-buffed powder, light sastrugi, isolated areas of exposed crust, and areas of exposed very hard old wind slab.

Snowpack:

Peak 3 snowpit at 3740′, WNW aspect, 32 degree slope, 147cm height of snow, ECTX, CTM12 Q3 at 112cm (35cm from surface) 4F+ faceted layer on 1F+ wind packed layer:

Peak 4 snowpit at 3980′, W aspect, 169 cm HS, ECTX, CTE1 Q3 at 160 cm (9cm from surface) 4F fresh wind slab on older 1F+ wind slab, CTM12 Q3 at 148 cm on faceted interface between wind packed layers, CTH22 Q2 at 109cm on buried surface hoar (see below photo of Compression Test fracture plane), very thin crust observed at 138cm:

AvaTech profiles at the top of Peak 4:

Peak 4: