Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/05/2019
Name: Steve Banks
Subject: Gothic Valley
Aspect: North East, South
Elevation: 9,400-10,600
Avalanches:
No new avalanches were observed today. We got a little peak at the crown of the North Bowl of Gothic which hit the Judd Falls toilets. Photo attached.
Weather: Sunny and warm in the morning with increasing high clouds. Intense solar radiation. S-1 at 7 pm. Ligh Westerly winds and some wind transport on alpine peaks.
Snowpack: South Aspect: Soft 2-4 cm crus from yesterday softened in today’s warmth. Upper 4 cms of snow became moist again and made for good hot pow skiing. HST sits around 60 cms on average. Below lies 1-3 different crust layers with notable facets surrounding. Basel facets exist below a 30 cm 1F slab, though they are rounded and 4F+. CTM results on upper crust (2/28 interface) resident planer and did not produce in Extended Column tests.
North East Aspect:
Dug 1 test profile and a crown profile on the only observed avalanche on Snodgrass at 9,600 feet. Avalanche broke on deep persistent layers at 40 cms above the ground in an isolated location 40 degrees in steepness. Resulting avalanche had a crown just under 2 meters deep, 30 meters wide and D2 in size (photo attached).
Both profiles showed CTM results within the new snow at a density change. Neither produced in Extendd Column tests.
Photos:
