Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 12/11/2018
Name: TC
Subject: Schuylkill Ridge
Aspect: North East
Elevation: 9,200-11,400
Avalanches:
No new avalanches observed. Several small pockets in the upper half of the re-skin forest had slid (10-12 inch crowns) in the last couple of weeks.
Weather: Overcast and very light snow first thing in the morning; clearing to mostly sunny by mid-day. Calm winds with temps in the upper teens to lower 20s.
Snowpack: Overall, the snowpack seemed to be right side up. Pole probing as we ascended the lower benches below Snake in the Grass, revealed unconsolidated (on the verge of faceted) snow on top of a more firm base. Continuing our ascent, measured an HS of 85 cm mid-way up Runaway Ski. At the top of the re-skin, dug a profile pit at the entrance to Runaway (in the low saddle) and found an HS of 115 cm. The top 20 cm was fist hard new snow from the past couple of weeks; the middle 50 cm was a three-finger hard layer presumably from the Thanksgiving storm; the bottom 45 cm was 1-2 mm facets (to the ground). Only experienced one small collapse throughout the entire tour. Skied Yogis and the northern ridge of Thanksgiving Bowl, and the snowpack felt quite stable.
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