Berthoud Pass Backcountry

The snowpack data tells the real story here: Annie Springs SNOTEL at 6,021 ft is showing 0 inches of snow depth with only 0.1 inches SWE, and it's mid-November. Berthoud Pass sits at roughly 11,300 ft and may have some early-season snow from recent cold nights, but there's nothing in the data to suggest skiable coverage exists. The SNOTEL network isn't capturing meaningful snowpack at any elevation right now. Go in with zero expectations of continuous coverage and plan for a lot of hiking on dirt, rock, and grass.

Avalanche danger is Low across all elevations with no identified problems — the cleanest possible bulletin. That said, with a near-zero snowpack, any snow that does exist is likely sitting in isolated pockets on north aspects where wind or shade has allowed it to accumulate. Early-season snow over vegetation and rocks can be deceptively unstable even at Low danger, so if you find a loaded pocket on a steeper north face, don't assume Low danger means no consequence.

Weather is excellent for the whole window. Sunny and clear Wednesday through Friday, highs in the 33–38°F range at pass elevation, lows around 24°F, winds light to moderate out of the WNW at 8–14 mph — nothing that's going to load wind slabs because there's nothing to load. No precip in the forecast through Friday night. Textbook early-season bluebird stretch.

The stream crossing data in this briefing is from California gauges and not relevant to Berthoud Pass — disregard it. The main logistical note is daylight: sunset at 4:52 PM means you have a hard cutoff for being off exposed terrain. Plan your turnaround by 3:30 PM to stay comfortably in the light. If you're going to make this trip worthwhile, treat it as a recon mission — assess which aspects are holding snow, note where wind deposits are building, and come back after the next significant storm cycle.