Snowmobile use is a popular form of winter recreation in Colorado,
particularly on public lands. To examine the effects of differing levels of
use on snowpack properties, experiments were performed at two different
areas, Rabbit Ears Pass near Steamboat Springs and at Fraser Experimental
Forest near Fraser, Colorado USA. Differences between no use and varying
degrees of snowmobile use (low, medium and high) on shallow (the operational
standard of 30 cm) and deeper snowpacks (120 cm) were quantified and
statistically assessed using measurements of snow density, temperature,
stratigraphy, hardness, and ram resistance from snow pit profiles. A simple
model was explored that estimated snow density changes from snowmobile use
based on experimental results. Snowpack property changes were more pronounced
for thinner snow accumulations. When snowmobile use started in deeper snow
conditions, there was less difference in density, hardness, and ram
resistance compared to the control case of no snowmobile use. These results
have implications for the management of snowmobile use in times and places of
shallower snow conditions where underlying natural resources could be
affected by denser and harder snowpacks
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