Observations

Front Range: Peak 3-4 ridge

Red flags:

• None observed

Weather:

• Mostly sunny with calm winds and temps in the 20s

Surface Conditions:

• Supportable and relatively smooth wind-packed snow (chalky, edge-able 1F hardness at the surface)

Snowpack:

• Widespread, heavily wind-affected snow:
• Snowpit (crown profile from human triggered avalanche 1/4/16):
• ECT simultaneous failures, lower failure plane is presumably the one responsible for the 1/4/16 human triggered avalanche and close call:
• Views of the crown and path from the skier’s right flank:
• More views from near the center of the crown:
• Views looking up at the debris and path from the bottom with path sketched in (avalanche ran 1147′ from 4005′ to 2858′):
• This is the largest avalanche in this zone (Canyon Road side Flattop to Flaketop) observed in the past six years of paying close attention.
• The snowpack along the crown ranged from less than 80cm to 200cm.
• Crown height was at least 100cm in some areas (it has filled back in some).
• While the snowpack seems to have stabilized significantly since the avalanche was triggered, snowpit tests are still revealing some concerns (view the pit profile above).
• The snowpack and stratigraphy is highly variable and complex, more so than documented in pit profile.