Location: Cement Creek Area
Date of Observation: 02/16/2020
Name: Cosmo
Subject: Cement Creek Snow
Elevation: 9400’
Weather: Just a skiff of new snow over night and light snowfall @ 7am. Looks socked in and snowing a little harder up valley toward Reno and Italian.
Date: 02/16/2020
Snowfall began last night and will continue throughout the day for the Crested Butte area. Snow totals as of 5 AM range from about 1 to 4 inches. A healthy amount of Pacific moisture coupled with the jet-stream just north of the area will combine to produce modest snowfall. Strong westerly winds look to accompany this storm which will easily transport the new snow around to leeward features. Favorable wind direction from the west will also help squeeze out additional precipitation.
Temperatures for today will remain on the warmer side, but moving into tomorrow, slightly colder air will slide into the area. Modest snowfall will continue overnight on Sunday and into Monday although accumulations on Monday will be very light, producing just a few additional inches.
High Temperature: 28 to 32
Winds/Direction: 14 – 24/WSW
Sky Cover: Overcast
Irwin Snow: 4 – 6″
Elkton Snow: 4 – 6″
Friend’s Hut Snow: 4 – 6″
Low Temperature: 14 to 18
Winds/Direction: 12 – 22/W
Sky Cover: Overcast
Irwin Snow: 4 – 6″
Elkton Snow: 4 – 6″
Friend’s Hut Snow: 4 – 6″
High Temperature: 24 to 28
Winds/Direction: 12 – 22/W
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Irwin Snow: 0 – 2″
Elkton Snow: 0 – 2″
Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 – 2″
Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 02/15/2020
Name: Frank S
Subject: Coon Basin
Aspect: East
Elevation: 12,000
Avalanches: D3 R3. Most of north side of Coon Basin has slid, probably this morning, as I didn’t notice it yesterday. Appears to have stepped down in several areas. Appears naturally triggered
Weather: Bluebird
Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 02/14/2020
Name: Frank S
Subject: Mt Emmon
Aspect: North, North East, East
Elevation: 9,000′-11’300
Avalanches: A few small avalanches in wind-loaded pockets, were covered by the latest snow.
Weather: Bluebird
Snowpack: Rotten layer 12″ down, crust on E aspects, powder NE-N.
Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 02/15/2020
Name: Eric Murrow
Subject: Coon Basin avalanche
Aspect: East, South East
Elevation: 12,000′
Edited 2/16 AM after site visit with additional photos
Avalanches: Avalanche in easterly facing Coon Basin visible this morning, Saturday 2/15 From valley bottom looks to be fairly large and destructive.
Photos:
Date: 02/15/2020
We will see high and midlevel clouds stream into the Elk Mountains today, increasing towards sunset. Temperatures will once again climb toward the freezing mark, with lower elevations this afternoon poking into the mid 30s. Westerly winds have increased overnight and will continue to be on the rise ahead of our next big snowmaker arriving tonight with average speeds in the 30-40mph, gusts into the 60s.
This storm is taking a similar trajectory as last week’s big snow event. A plume of moisture arching across the northern states will arrive tonight, favoring the Steamboat mountains and Flattops, but we will get in on the action with heavy snowfall expected Sunday and Monday. Pacific moisture, the overhead Jet stream and our mountains enhancing the incoming snowfall with additional forcing will squeeze significant snowfall produce 1-2 feet by Tuesday. Snowfall should begin just after midnight Sunday with intensifying snow really getting cranking after sunrise. Stay tuned as accumulations and timing may shift over the next 24 hours.
High Temperature: 28 to 33
Winds/Direction: 25-35 G60/W
Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
Irwin Snow: 0
Elkton Snow: 0
Friend’s Hut Snow: 0
Low Temperature: 10 to 15
Winds/Direction: 20-30 G50
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Irwin Snow: 2-4″
Elkton Snow: 2-4″
Friend’s Hut Snow: 1-3″
High Temperature: 20-25
Winds/Direction: 15-25/NW
Sky Cover: Overcast
Irwin Snow: 4-8″
Elkton Snow: 3-6″
Friend’s Hut Snow: 3-6″
Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 02/14/2020
Name: Irwin Snow Safety
Subject: Large Avalanches Scarp Ridge/Irwin Cat Tenure
Aspect: South West, West
Elevation: 10-12,000ft
Avalanches:
Tried a lighter touch and made a huge mess anyhow,
Everything from Spool through the Eyes of the World (SW ATL) is basically gone with 120 to 140 cm crowns running on basal facets on the ground. Complex events with moving slabs triggering additional action. Dramatic. PM form event descriptions are summarized
.
1st event went with a 6lb AB. 2nd event was a single 2×16 and released remotely 10m below the shot. 3rd event triggered by us unloading a 4 shot spread just trying to get the hell out of there. 4th event was a 6lb surface shot cleaning up the remaining hangfire.
All were very large relative to me, but not surpassing D2.5 in size. This area has received intermittent explosive control through the season, but almost no skier compaction. These were the first significant avalanches of the season in all paths that ran.
Spool HS-AB(6lb)-R2/D2.5-G 120cm x 10m x 200m; Right Eyebrow HS-AEr(3lb from 10m)-R2/D2.5-G 140cm x 30m x 200m; Cheddar Bunny Left HS-AE(3lb)-R2/D2-G 140cm x 10m x 200m Left Eyeball Hangfire HS-AE(6lb)-R2/D2-G 140cm x 20m x 150m
Weather: Clear, 20-35 deg, WSW 15-20 g25-46
Snowpack: Good skiing, no signs of instability besides the large explosive triggered avalanches.
Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 02/14/2020
Subject: Scarps Ridge
Aspect: East
Photos:
Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 02/14/2020
Subject: small avalanche
Aspect: North East
Elevation: ATL
Avalanches: One natural R1D1.5 on NE aspect off Purple ridge top from small chunk of cornice falling off. probably 10 feet wide at start but grew wider and then fanned out in flats after running approx. 200 feet.
Weather: Winds transporting snow off ridge.
[/gravityforms]Date: 02/14/2020
Overnight, westerly winds persisted and have averaged in the teens, with gusts into the 20-30mph range. Lower elevations flirt in the single digits above and below zero with temperatures warming into the mid-teens at ridge top this morning. Expect a couple sunny, quiet, classic mid-winter days on tap before we swing back into unsettled weather and persistent snowfall into the middle of next week. Temperatures today should warm close to 30ºF today at 11,000ft, with light westerly winds near and above treeline. More details on the next storm tomorrow. Stay tuned.
High Temperature: 25 to 30
Winds/Direction: 5-15/WSW
Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
Irwin Snow: 0
Elkton Snow: 0
Friend’s Hut Snow: 0
Low Temperature: 5 to 10
Winds/Direction: 5-10/W
Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
Irwin Snow: 0
Elkton Snow: 0
Friend’s Hut Snow: 0
High Temperature: 27-33
Winds/Direction: 10-20/W
Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
Irwin Snow: 0
Elkton Snow: 0
Friend’s Hut Snow: 0
