Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 02/22/2019
Name: Evan Ross
Subject: Deep Snowpack And Feeling Strong
Aspect: North East
Elevation: 9,500-10,900ft
Avalanches:
Small loose snow avalanches in steep terrain. Failing in the few inches of recent low density snow.
Weather: Overcast, about 4″ of new snow at 3pm today for the last 24hr. Winds were calm to light even at ridgeline. No recent drifting snow, other than what was previously drifted earlier in the week.
Snowpack: Snowpack hight around 180cm at 10,500ft in Washington Gulch. Sluffing in the new snow was the main concern, otherwise no signs to instability and the snowpack continues to feel strong.
Skiing for the past week has produced no signs to instability as it relates to the persistent slab avalanche problem where the snowpack hight is near average as reported in other observations. The main red flag found this week as it relates to the PS problem was where the snowpack heigh was below average and 120cm’s at that location. Many previously wind-loaded terrain features, and areas that the snowpack looked thiner then average, where avoided in the last week.