Date of Observation: 04/11/2023

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Viewed from Kebler Pass Road

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: More large wet avalanches likely ran today or yesterday. And an older dry slab(!!!) triggered by cornice fall. See photos.

Date of Observation: 04/11/2023

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Viewed from CB

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: A few large wet slabs on Gothic ran today. A few large wet avalanches on Mt. CB ran yesterday evening.

Date of Observation: 04/11/2023

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Afternoon snowmobile tour to Scarp Ridge, Beaver Ponds TH, and Horse Ranch TH documenting wet avalanche patterns from the last few days.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: More wet action.  In summary, all of the large (D2+) avalanche activity (both wet slab and wet loose) has been happening on east, south, and west aspects, mostly near and below treeline, where meltwater is most intense right now. I saw a few wet slabs break near 12,000′ into above treeline type of terrain. These were all on rocky, shallow slopes facing SE. There’s still plenty of wet loose activity happening on NE and NW aspects but it’s still shallow and not gouging like the southern side is, and no wet slabs on the northern half of the compass thus far.
Weather: Hot.
Snowpack: A quick handpit on a 30 degree, SE facing slope at 12,000 feet this afternoon had wet snow about 6″ deep and moistening snow below that. The snowpack was generally supportive to sledding near and above treeline with track pen about 6″. It was trapdoor in a few low-elevation areas.

Date of Observation: 04/10/2023

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Pavement observations

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: A handful more large Wet Loose and Wet Slab avalanches failed in the Red Ridge area. Wet Slabs seem to be the biggest issue on easterly and westerly aspects with more southerly slopes generally being a loose problem.
Weather:
Snowpack:

Date of Observation: 04/10/2023

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Hwy 135 obs

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Several loose avalanches from easterly aspects yesterday viewed early this morning. A handful more gouging wet loose on easterly terrain and loose/slab hybrid avalanches up to D2.5.

Date of Observation: 04/10/2023

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: West and Middle Brush Creeks.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Documenting yesterday’s avalanches from West Brush. See other ob for today’s wet avy’s.

Date of Observation: 04/10/2023

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: West Brush Creek drainage and Teocalli Mtn to 13,200. Traveled on various aspects, back to the TH by 2 before the peak of meltwater drainage.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: See photos and details below. Yesterday’s slides are documented in separate ob.
BTL: Several large gouging wet loose, wet slabs and glide avalanches ran yesterday. Activity was escalating today, we observed three wet slabs run between 1 p.m and 2 p.m on east aspects (D2-D2.5) and a full-depth wet loose on a south aspect (D2). The wet slabs failed just above the ground and one snapped fairly mature trees.
NTL: A few shallow wet loose (D1-1.5) ran yesterday, along with several large wet slabs (D2) on south to west aspects, in shallow, rocky terrain. Saw one wet slab run today on an east aspect (D1.5) and some more small wet loose activity. Left before the south to west aspects were at peak instability.
ATL: A few fresh cornice falls (D2) and a few shallow wet loose avalanches (D1-1.5). Notably quieter than mid and low elevations for wet activity.
Also a notable D3+ came off of the south face of Teo about a week ago (I’m guessing April 1). It started as a broad storm slab ATL and stepped down into old hard slabs in the gullies before reaching valley bottom.
Weather: Clear, calm winds, sweating profusely by mid day.
Snowpack: Surfaces were frozen and supportive to boot, ski, and sled this morning for a few hours. By about 12:30, east aspects BTL were unsupportive in steep, rocky areas (boot pen thigh+ deep), and small test slopes were easy to initiate gouging wet loose. Wet slab activity began shortly after that here. High northerly aspects remained dry, but were just starting to get damp and rollerball on NE aspects around 12,000′. On planar sunbaked slopes ATL (not near rocks), water had moved into the top 5″ or so. Sledding out became on and off trapdoor this afternoon. The dust is now widespread on the surface at all elevations in the SE mtns, except for high north.

Date of Observation: 04/09/2023

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Obs from town.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Several large natural avalanches running out of the westerly side (Terminator Chutes) of Mount Crested Butte. These ran around 6 or 7pm.
Weather:
Snowpack:

Date of Observation: 04/09/2023

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Kebler Pass corridor to Evan Basin on Emmons and up to Scarp Ridge.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: A recent glide avalanche on an easterly aspect of Whetstone BTL on shale slopes, a handful of small wet loose avalanches near treeline, and fresh cornice fall on Emmons along skin track ridge near treeline.
Weather: Some cloud cover in the morning gave way to mostly clear skies by noon and the afternoon. Warm temperatures below treeline, near freezing temps above treeline, and light west-northwest winds at ridgetops.
Snowpack: I traveled around in the afternoon to catch peak warming on easterly and southerly slopes. Below treeline surface crusts lost strength just after noon and I found up to a foot of wet cohesionless snow below. The snowpack strength ramps up not much below the wet snow which leaves a foot or more of wet snow on low elevation sunny slopes for loose snow avalanches to entrainment. Near treeline on an easterly slope , wet snow was limited to the top few inches making for easy, small loose avalanches. Meltwater had drained down to and was oozing through the first crust encounter beneath the dusty crust near the surface. An above treeline a southeast slope was only moist/barely wet in the top few inches. I was able to produce roller balls here, but do not think it was a Wet Loose avalanche problem yet; light winds and modest temps kept alpine sunny slopes in this area from becoming a problem.
There was a dramatic difference between water production on terrain with dirt at or very near the surface versus slopes with 6 inches or more of white snow.

Date of Observation: 04/09/2023

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Rec tour this morning on Purple Peak, traveling on southerly an northeast aspects up to 12,800′

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Two new alpine cornice falls since I was last in this area on the afternoon of 4/7 (D1.5 and D3) and a recent glide avalanche off of rocks on West Beckwith (D1.5)
Weather: Mid-level clouds passed overhead a few times but still lots of solar input. Light winds.
Snowpack: High northerly aspects held dry, stable powder. Surfaces were well-frozen this morning at all elevations. By 11:30 a.m., rollerballs and pinwheels started coming off of rock bands on east aspects NTL as the top few inches got wet. Good corn skiing at that time on southeast NTL. Above treeline south has only seen meltwater go a few inches deep during the last few days. On below treeline south, there were timber sled tracks sinking in about 10″.