Mt. Owen

CBAC2014-15 Observations

Name: Evan, Xavier
DATE: 4/4/15
LOCATION: Mt. Owen
ELEVATION: 10,600-12,800
ASPECT: NE/E/S



WEATHER: Clear sky and warming temps. Westerly winds at ridgeline were light to moderate with some stronger gusts
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Recent colder weather and good freezes had sunny slopes locked up. Above treeline those sunny slopes seemed slow to soften with the steady winds. A northeast aspect above treeline had a couple inches new snow that sloughed down the to old but dry snow interface. Around 1:30pm, an east facing aspect was skiing like 4″ of warm/hot pow.

Gothic Mountain

CBAC2014-15 Observations

NAME: Evan
DATE: 4/3/15
LOCATION: Gothic Mountain
ELEVATION: 9,500-12,500
ASPECT: SE/SW

WEATHER: Sky had cleared by 9am. Mostly light to no wind at ridgeline with some stronger gusts. Strong solar but cool temps.

SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Last nights .5″ of snow became moist on all slopes traveled. Southeast facing slopes where becoming 50/50 supportive to boot pen by 11pm on steep rocky slopes, but I bet if you took a T20 temperature it was still below 0C. I think they mostly lost their support do to the overall weak and large grained, snowpack in that area. South and Southwest slopes stayed supportive to boots throughout the day and softened to some nice creamy corn. I don’t know where you could have triggered an avalanche today in the terrain we traveled.

Red lady Bowl

CBAC2014-15 Observations

GUIDE(S): Donny
DATE: 15-03-27
ACTIVITY: BC Skiing
LOCATION: Red Lady Bowl
ELEVATION: 9200’ to 12,400′
ASPECT: SE – S
WEATHER: Clear, warm, moderate winds throughout day.
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Exactly as described on the bulletin.  The top of the bowl had small wind slabs and bigger cornices.  There’s about a foot of new snow deposited on the old surface and the upper half of this is warm and dense.  In the middle of the sandwich was drier, winter-like snow.  Ski cutting didn’t produce any activity.  There’s evidence of wet, loose slide activity from yesterday – most likely initiated by small cornice drops.  We were out of there before anything heated up too much.

Star Pass, Brush Creek

CBAC2014-15 Observations

NAME: Zach Guy

DATE: 3/25/15

 

Around 6″ of new snow since Monday night, drifted areas holding a foot or more in places over frozen crusts.Strong winds from the W yesterday shifted to NW today.  Noted a few small natural windslabs, (D1) on E aspects yesterday above treeline, and skier triggered a few small windslabs today on E to S aspects above treeline.  All D1, 4-10″ thick, failing on the storm interface (crust) or in mid-storm layers, near Star Pass.Still seeing some unsupportive crusts below treeline that haven’t gotten a much refreeze insulated by the fresh snow (4-12″ refreeze). Small rollerballs today on low elevation sunny slopes.  Above treeline feels rock solid below the new snow on sun exposed aspects.

Gothic Update

CBAC2014-15 Observations

We had 3½” last night before clearing and cooling a bit.  Snow has been down to 35″ deep, then up to 37½” and now 37″.  Clouds are starting to move back in and it is cooler with the high so far just 37ºF (average high last week 51ºF with 5 record highs).

During the heat a few days back there was a good bit of wet loose activity including one that triggered a small 2 foot fracture that ran to ground.  billy

Mt Emmons

CBAC2014-15 Observations

GUIDE(S): Donny
DATE: 15-03-22
LOCATION: Red Lady Bowl
ELEVATION: 9200’ to 12,400’ 
ASPECT: SE – S
WEATHER: 0930 @ 9900’ – SE aspect, flat – mostly cloudy, calm, 3.5ºC – SkiPen: 0, BootPen: 0
1030 @ 10,900’ – S aspect, 10º slope – partly cloudy, moderate wind from N, 1.5ºC – SkiPen: 0, BootPen: <5cm
1130 @ 11,700’ – south aspect, 15º slope – partly cloudy, moderate west wind, 5.5ºC – SkiPen: <5cm, BootPen: 5cm
1230 @12,400’ – south aspect, 35º slope – mostly sunny, strong west wind, 5ºC – SkiPen: 5cm, BootPen: 15cm
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: No signs of instabilities today.  Snow was slow to soften.  T20 temps were below zero, but not by much.

Red Lady Glades

CBAC2014-15 Observations

NAME: Evan
DATE: 15-03-21
LOCATION: Red Lady Glades
ELEVATION: BTL 9,000-11,000
ASPECT: SSE
WEATHER:  Clear, calm wind, warm temps
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Traveled on slope angles less then 34 degrees. No signs of instabilities observed.  Surface crusts where in the 10-12″ range with wet grains below. These crusts stayed supportive to boot and skis through 2pm when we finished our tour.

Red Lady Bowl

CBAC2014-15 Observations

GUIDE(S): Donny

DATE: 15-03-21

LOCATION: Red Lady Bowl and Evan’s Basin

ELEVATION: 9,200’ to 12,400′

ASPECT: SE – S – SW

WEATHER: 10:30 @ 11,500’ – South aspect, 30º slope – clear, calm and -1.5ºC – SkiPen: 0cm; BootPen <5cm
12:00 @ 12,400’ – Southeast aspect, 35º slope – clear, calm and 3.5ºC – SkiPen: 5cm; BootPen: 15cm

SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: No signs of instabilities observed. We had a good freeze again last night.

Snodgrass, Crested Butte Area

CBAC2014-15 Observations

GUIDE(S): Evan
DATE: 3/20/15
LOCATION: Snodgrass
ELEVATION: BTL. 10,300-9,300
ASPECT: N, SE. All slope angles under 35 degrees.
WEATHER: A couple light wind gusts. Otherwise clear sky, strong solar and warm temps.
SNOWPACK:
Surface crusts where about 10″ this morning over wet grains to the ground. These crusts where skiing well on SE aspects at this elevation around 11am. During the noon to 1pm range these crusts where breaking down on SE aspects and becoming unsupportive to boots or skis. During this timeframe we were seeing and hearing huge rumbling collapses on these aspects.
After 1pm we skied on a north aspect that was supportive to both ski and boots with good skiing. This aspect still produced very large rumbling collapses while traveling on it.

Mt. Axtell

CBAC2014-15 Observations

GUIDE(S): Donny

DATE: 15-03-18

LOCATION: Axtell / Green Lake
ELEVATION: 9100’ to 11,800′
ASPECT: Mostly north and northeast with a few pitches of southern aspect
WEATHER: 0945 @ 10,000’ – Low angle, north aspect – Overcast, flurries, light wind, 4ºC, SkiPen: 5cm
1100 @ 10,800’ – Ridge – Broken sky, calm, 4ºC, SkiPen: 5cm, BootPen: 20cm
1230 @ 11,600’ – Top of Couloir – Overcast, S-1, light wind, 4ºC, SkiPen: 5cm, BootPen: 5cm
1400 @ 11,800’ – Top of second couloir – Overcast, S-1, light wind, 3ºC, SkiPen: 15cm, BootPen: 30cm (to ground)
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Skied moist and wet snow all day.  Felt a few “whumpfs” in flat terrain as surface crust collapsed.  When sun would break through for a moment a greenhouse effect could be felt and rollerballs and pinwheels would be present immediately. This was never prolonged.  No other signs of instabilities.  I probed during the entire climb of a north facing couloir.  Average depth was less than a meter and it obviously slid quite a bit during the previous storm cycle.  The snow is dense and consistent throughout the snowpack.  Surface was “hot pow” and didn’t want to run down hill.  On the way home, south aspects were completely isothermal and the north facing glades were wet.