Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 12/16/2018
Name: Steve Banks
Subject: More Gothic Obs
Aspect: East, South East
Elevation: 11,000-9,600
Avalanches:
No new avalanches viewed.
Weather: Sunny, hot, not a cloud to be seen. High’s +4 C with almost no wind.
Snowpack: It’s a mixed bag out there. SE slope at 11,000 almost softened enough to not be breaker crust, but it was breaker crust. On this aspect there was wet to moist snow in the top 6 cms and a couple crust/facet interfaces in the top 12 cms. Solid 4F->1F midpack on top of a P+ 14cm MF crust at the ground (October facets that have been through MF). There was a thin layer of 1mm facets on top of this crust, as well as some lingering 3mm facets on the ground below it. ECTX though prying on the column popped a smooth shear on top of the MFC in the 1 mm facets. This could be interesting to watch. HS was 72.
On East facing aspect BTL we received 2 medium sized collapses while regrouping. Probing found widespread PS structure and HS averaging 70 cms, though minimal signs of instability. The snowpack is feeling beaten below treeline, but it is hard to ignore the structure and the continual whumphing.
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