Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/15/2018
Name: Eric Murrow

Subject: Lower Slate River avalanche photos
Aspect: North, North East, East
Elevation: Views from valley bottom

Avalanches:

Went out slate to take stock of avalanches from last cycle. There were numerous slides present on Climax, lower Wolverine Basin road cuts, and Schuylkill Ridge. I travelled through the valley last on Friday around 2pm; visibility was slightly obscured at the time but reasonable. I believe a good chunk of the slides in photos occurred after Friday, 2pm.

Weather: Clear day with what felt like strong radiation. Winds were lightly gusting a valley bottom. Blowing snow was occasionally present at most exposed alpine locations, loading on to south and east aspects.
Snowpack:

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/14/2018
Name: Eric murrow

Subject: Emmons
Aspect: South East, South, South West, West
Elevation: 9,400 – 12,400

Avalanches:

Saw several D2 avalanches for this past weeks natural cycle. They were NE and E aspects just above treeline in alpine terrain. Photos included. They appeared to have failed towards end of last week as crowns were easily still visible.

Weather: Clear day with light winds and occasional light gusting. Saw small amounts of blowing snow in most exposed alpine locations. Snow surfaces were moist on southerlies above treeline.
Snowpack: Punched a quick hole on a SSE slope, 25*, at 11,400 and found a stack of facets and weak crusts. Not a lot of slab like structure in this protected location. Generally fist and 4finger minus facets with weak 1 – 2cm crust sandwiched between. Didn’t look particularly hazardous at moment but def weak and dangerous if it gets loaded.
On descent through Evans Basin found generally shallow weak snow. At around 10,000ft, in very low angle terrain, our group got several collapses on SE slopes. At similar elevation, we crossed above a short steep NE facing slope above creek bed and with several forceful jumps, we were able to collapse and shattered slope, but it failed to release.
Watched several groups ski Red Lady Bowl without incident. Also watched first member of a group ski Redwell Basin without incident (this was a few hundred feet adjacent a natural D2 avalanche from a few days ago).

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/14/2018
Name: Dave

Subject: Coneys
Aspect: North East
Elevation: 9,500-10,903

Avalanches:
Weather: Warm, definitely felt like it hit 30F today. Sunny all day, light winds in the morning then super calm in the afternoon.
Snowpack: Snow depth avg was 70 cm (but skied like 82cm!) Did not see or feel any signs of instability throughout our 3 laps. Used the usual skin track in the trees, it is in good shape I made a few improvements. I put in the lap track in. Looked at the remote trigger from yesterday, it seemed to be in a steeper area that had a bit of wind loading but still feels like it was a bit odd. I have not seen that spot slide.

Photos:

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/14/2018
Name: Irwin Snowcat Operation

Subject:
Aspect: North East, South, South West, West
Elevation:

Avalanches:

Mt. Owen: NE, 12,800′, 40 degrees: SS-N-R2-D2-O? Estimated 60-80cm’s deep, 150′ wide, ran 1,200-1,500′. Ruby Mt.: East, 12,000, 40 degrees: SS-N-R1-D1.5-I? Estimated 60cm’d deep. 250′
wide ran 300′.
Sunset Left SS-AB-R3-D2-O FC-12/21 (60cm x 20m x 300m) Triggered from the low arblast. Debris was 160cm deep to ground

Weather:
Snowpack: Moving higher on the Westwall we found very variable and discontinuous snowpack ranging from 30-100cm’s. Large isolated wind whales that are plastered in there. More wind effected snow since the 12th, stripped on the top of the UWW and wind crusts and wind textured snow and ski penetration greatly reduced. Cracking in the top 3cm’s. Still mostly weak snow with a soft slab. Fewer signs of instability under foot or with ski cuts. One collapse on a convexity. South aspects got moist yesterday and again today but isolated to South, Not SW. One Avalanche triggered on an airblast.

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/14/2018
Name: Alex Tiberio

Subject: More collapsing around gothic
Aspect: North East, East
Elevation: 9,400-10,200

Avalanches:
Weather: Clear skies
Snowpack: While setting a track up climbers right of the Snodgrass/Gothic saddle through the aspen groves there were large collapses in all open areas, none of which were steeper than 30 degrees so nothing moved. Was going to dig a pit at one point in an opening in the trees, however the slope collapsed while I was digging so I moved on. No collapses in the denser larger aspens on slopes up to 35 degrees

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/13/2018
Name: Tim Pfafman

Subject: Delayed Fuse on Coney’s
Aspect: North East
Elevation: 10,800

Avalanches:

End of 2nd run north of Coney’s second bowl looked up and noticed that we had a delayed remote trigger on the steep north east face of the second bowl. This part of Coney’s did not have much to any snow a week ago and is steeper than what has been ridden in that area over the last few weeks. The Avy was in the new snow from the last 2 storms to the ground. 18″ to 24″ crown.

Weather: Sunny to overcast
Snowpack: No noticed flags.

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/13/2018
Name: Dave

Subject: Red Lady Glades
Aspect: South East, South
Elevation: 9,300-11,900

Avalanches:
Weather: Clear skies, lots of solar, calm but did not get on summit. Air= mid 20’s
Snowpack: HS ranged 50-60cm and got thin towards the bottom. We skied the glades to the left of the up track. The skiing was good but hit a few rocks. We skied the lower side of the steep pitch and saw no signs of instability. The snow was getting pretty heavy as we descended

Photos: