No Signs To Instability, Still Some Nice Snow In Protected Areas
Date of Observation: 01/17/2021 Zone: Northwest Mountains Aspect: West, North West Elevation: 10,500-11,200 Snowpack: Traveled through westerly facing terrain features at both BTL and NTL elevations. I’ve been through that area 2 other times in the last couple of weeks. Each time now on a slightly different route. Basically, on 1/6 traveling through that area […]
Sugar Shack
Date of Observation: 01/17/2021 Zone: Northwest Mountains Location: East Beckwith Aspect: East Elevation: 10,000 – 11,600′ Avalanches: None Weather: Light northwest winds. Partly to mostly cloudy. Snowpack: We traveled on several steep east facing slopes near and above treeline without signs of instability. A lot of ski pole probing easily going to the ground indicated […]
Snoddy Toddy
Date of Observation: 01/16/2021 Zone: Southeast Mountains Location: Snodgrass/Gothic Road Aspect: North, North East, East Elevation: 9600-10000 Avalanches: D1 Avalanche on East Facing aspect, Hard slab, looks to be 30cm thick, Naturally triggered. Not sure if it released today or prior to today. Weather: Partly cloudy AM into a blue bay day Snowpack: Hunting […]
wind slab hunters
Date of Observation: 01/16/2021 Zone: Southeast Mountains Location: Various valley locations near Crested Butte Aspect: North East Elevation: 8900-9200′ Avalanches: None Snowpack: We targeted a handful of obvious windloaded features from strong valley winds near town. Wind drifted slabs were 2″ to 5″ thick, pencil hard. Some would crack after undercutting and stomping on the […]
BTL snowpack is like a box of chocolates
Date of Observation: 01/16/2021 Zone: Southeast Mountains Location: Walrod Elevation: BTL Avalanches: NA Weather: calm winds at the surface and near/above freezing temperatures early AM. Mostly cloudy transitioning to partly cloudy skies. north winds ATL and above appeared to be moderate by movement of winds but no wind transport observed on ridges. Snowpack: Trace of […]
Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore
Date of Observation: 01/15/2021 Zone: Southeast Mountains Location: West Brush Creek towards Coffee Pot Pass Aspect: East, South, West Elevation: 9,000 to 12,800′ Avalanches: We intentionally triggered a hard slab avalanche on a small, heavily windloaded terrain feature on an east aspect below treeline. The slab was about a foot thick and about […]
Wind Board Is The New Pow Bro
Date of Observation: 01/15/2021 Zone: Northwest Mountains Location: Kebler to Scarps Ridge Elevation: 9,000-12,000 Avalanches: Nothing new observed Weather: Few clouds, with continued moderate to strong winds Snowpack: Covered ground and moved around, just trying to get a better idea of conditions after the wind event. Mostly just traveling on roads and looking at the […]
wind event carnage at the anthracites
Date of Observation: 01/15/2021 Zone: Northwest Mountains Location: anthracites Avalanches: one small wind slab in 1/2 bowl of axtell, see photo. Some cracking on the ridge approaching top of AMR, see photo, and one settlement on the ridge as well. Weather: windy. Still very windy. Snowpack: we had the opportunity to sample a variety […]
Fresh Slab Avalanche In Poverty Gulch
Date of Observation: 01/14/2021 Zone: Northwest Mountains
Wind blew the barn door open
Date of Observation: 01/14/2021 Zone: Southeast Mountains Location: Cement Creek Elevation: 9250’ Weather: Literally. Also snow devils. Snowpack: Wind died down late Thursday morning and picked up again in the evening. Wind drifts in the valley bottom on Thursday we’re small. Depth mostly measured in inches, not feet.