Date of Observation: 03/16/2023
Name: West Elk Air
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Anthracite Range
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: A large natural avalanche that appeared to break 2-3’ deep below last weekend’s storm snow (3/10 interface)
Date of Observation: 03/15/2023
Name: billy barr
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Gothic townsite
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Lots of loose slide activity off steep slopes yesterday but overall surface snow is solid.
Weather: Obscured cloud cover with scattered light snow overnight and just 1″ new but yet again dense with 0.11″ of water. The snowpack is 77½” deep and very hard. Currently light snow and no wind. On the lighter side, my water line froze in November so i have had no running water all winter, but for joy, now my roof is leaking so i have running water- down the side of my walls. Whoopee.
Date of Observation: 03/13/2023
Name: Text Message
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Snodgrass
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Photo submitted via text to CBAC. Storm slab appears to be unintentionally triggered by a skier or rider. Some snow in the tracks so likely triggered on Saturday or Sunday.
Photos:
Date of Observation: 03/13/2023
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Axtell 1st bowl
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Remote triggered D1.5 storm slab from 5m away on east-facing flank of 1st bowl near old prayer flags. Collapse was loud. Crown estimated to be 70cm x 20m. Appeared to fail at storm interface.
Several old crowns in 1st and 2nd bowl that looked to have released mid-storm.
Ski cut triggered D1 in a north-facing chute of 1st bowl. The second rider was able to trigger additional hang fire with a second ski cut. Crown was estimated to be 40cm x 10m. This path appeared to have failed mid-storm then again with our ski cuts presumably at the storm interface.
Date of Observation: 03/13/2023
Name: Travis Guy
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Gothic road between gothic town site and SAIL site
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Heard/saw about 8 avalanches running down the chutes on gothic east face. First avalanche seen was at 11:07 (circled in red). Subsequent avalanches seen/heard for the next 2 hours (circled in green)
Weather: Sunny, calm, -3.2C (at 11:10am)
Date of Observation: 03/13/2023
Name: Rob Strickland
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Standard skinner. A few inches of new provide a bit of float above the crusts
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: – East side of the bowl (west facing) wet slab.
– Inde basin (photo). All east facing ripped and looked like a shallow slab but impressive R3/4.
– But no movement on east facing Elk Creek shots.
Some examples of cornice fall to D1 and filled in again.
Weather: Partly light… partly cloudy.
Snowpack: Deeep. Where’d all those little trees go?
Date of Observation: 03/12/2023
Name: Irwin Guides
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Irwin Tenure
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Several non-destructive D1 storm slabs on W NTL. 50-100′ wide propagation.
Weather: OVC, 27/17 deg, W 10-20 g 30, convective snow showers off and on S1.
Snowpack: Snow became low-density by the end of the storm. Afternoon 2d SWE 6%. W aspects NTL touchy-very touchy nondestructive storm slabs 6-10″ this morning. DL on W & E aspects on terrain >37 deg, mostly surface graupel from today’s snow.
Date of Observation: 03/12/2023
Name: Cosmo Langsfeld
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Grassy Hill
Observed avalanche activity: No
Weather: Overcast. Started snowing in earnest around 1pm.
Snowpack: A few quiet whoomfs on west/southwestish meadows around 10500-11k. Didnt see any shooting cracks or feel anything collapse. Just whoomfs.
Date of Observation: 03/12/2023
Name: Turner Petersen
Zone: South of CBAC forecast zone
Route Description: Seen from 135
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Impressive out-of-the-ordinary naturals around Almont as seen with the other observation posted. This one is in the east-facing foothills below Flat Top mountain outside the fish hatchery.
Weather: Snowing, sunny, wet, warm.
Snowpack: Deep for this area.
Date of Observation: 03/11/2023
Name: Ben Ammon
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Epicing our way out way out from Friends Hut after coming over Pearl. Skintrack to Friends is in.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: -4 of the THC chutes all ran full path probably early morning 3/11. The largest (#4) crossed East Brush Creek and made it to about where the normal route to Friends is. All started as storm slabs up high and then stepped down into persistent layers mid track, typically near the cliff bands. First 4 photos.
-The slope above the West Brush creek crossing buried the road and almost made it to the creek. 5th photo
-Storm slab crossed Brush Creek in the steep terrain between Hunt Camp and the West Brush crossing. 6th and 7th photo
-North Bowl of Cement slid, looked big from a long ways away. Last photo
-Many other D1 storm slabs, mostly E aspects, but some on every aspect, all seemed to fail early AM and were partially filled back in.
Weather: Clearing and sun mid day, but clouds and light snow moved back in after 1pm. Winds were generally light with occasional moderate guests BTL.
Snowpack: Settled storm total at Friends Hut as of 9am 3/11 was 29 inches of way upside down snow. Likely a fair bit of settlement as there was ~18 inches of 3-4% by dark on 3/10. Holy deepness. Collapsed the storm slabs problem on just about every meadow in the East Brush valley. We avoided Death Pass but I’d bet it slid as well.
