Received a second-hand report of a “concerning skier triggered slide in Climax”. Â No other details.
Zach Guy
Gothic snow and avalanche obs
Only 1″ new snow with very light snow Monday morning and after dark, then clear and cooler than it has been (-03ºF). Snowpack settled from 48″ to 45½” now.
There were a number of point releases off steep slopes but also 4 one foot fractures on Snodgrass starting at various elevations, all small but a couple running about 400 feet or so.
Red Coon Glade
NAME:Â Evan Ross
DATE:Â 2/23/15
LOCATION: Red Coon Glade
ELEVATION:Â 9,000-11,700ft
ASPECT:Â SE
WEATHER: Overcast sky was breaking up in the afternoon. A frew s-1 snow showers through out the day. Strong solar through thin clouds was creating a green housing effect. Calm wind throughout the day.SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Green housing and some solar warmed the snow surface and created a 1-2cm crust by the afternoon. Had pits along the way found generally good bonding between the new/old snow interface as well as the new snow lacking a cohesive slab. HST at 11,000ft was 40-45cm. BTL south facing slopes grater then 30 degrees and below 10,000ft where bare of snow before this storm.
Ski cuts on a small shaded slope BTL that was about 35 degrees produced small storm slab avalanches on the old snow surface about 15 feet wide.
Observed several loose snow avalanches on a steep easterly slope near treeline that looked to set down into the facets below. These D1.5 sloughs may have failed naturally or where skier triggered from the ridge above.
Snodgrass
NAME: Jeff, Donny
DATE: 20150222
ACTIVITY: Avy L2
LOCATION: Snodgrass
ELEV: 10,000
ASPECT: E/NE
WEATHER: Â OVC, S1, Calm throughout the day, + < 0.5MM
AVALANCHE / SNOWPACK OBS:
No signs of instability until 13:30 w/ ~4.5″
@Â 13:00
SS-ASi- R1-D1-O Â NE @ 9,700 slope Angle ~37* Â very small moved only a couple feet before losing momentum
@Â 14:00
SS-ASi-R1-D1-O Â NE @ 10,600 slope angle 40* Â slow moving slough in forest @ ridgetop, no prop, stepping down into older facets 6-10″
SS-ASu-R1-D1-O Â Â NE @ 10,200 Â slope angle 36* Â 30x45ft ran very slowly, 4.5″ of stormslab bonded to old snow, failing in old facets 6-10″ down & then gouging down entraining more facets like a slough
SS-ASi-R1-D1-O  @ 37* bordering alongside  same dimensions
SS-ASi-R1-D1-O Â Â @ 37* (immediately next to previous) but running as a fan shaped loose dry.
Snowpack: large collapse with only 1 skier, immediately before these three small skier triggered on flats 80 feet away. Â facets collpasing under a 2cm crust with storm slab stuck to crust. Â Slight drop in elevation from ridge resulted in noticeably denser snow. Â HS 100cm
on the 21st we obsereved a similiar collapse @ 10,000ft  (HS 100cm on 5 degree W slope) but with a group of 7 close together.  no cracks so weak layer could have been the facets failing under the 2cm breakable crust.  Or the still intact SH layer we found ~20cm down.
Bonding tests:
@Â 13:00Â @ 10,200 ECTP2 Â SC Â (15cm down in facets covered by 2cm crust & storm snow)
No signs of surface hoar layer being reactive in 3 different pit sites (8 seperate pits) in Snodgrass saddle zone between 10,200 -10,500ft. Â Only faint traces of it remaining in 1 pit, otherwise unseen.
Dec 13Â layer very visible to the eye & producing CTM to CTN results but no propagation.
Gothic Morning Update
Date: 2/23/15
Light snow during the day Sunday but steady moderate snow overnight, becoming light near sunrise. The 24 hour totals are 13″ new with 0.87″ water and now at the winters deepest snowpack of 48″. Thankfully no wind. Currently overcast and calm with very light snow and mild- between 16 and 18ºF overnight. billy bar
Coneys, Washington gulch
GUIDE(S):Â Alex &Evan
DATE:Â 2015-02-22
LOCATION:Â Coneys, Washington gulch
ELEVATION:9,400′-10,900′
ASPECT: N-NE
WEATHER: Overcast, snowing S1 throughout the day with periods of s2-3 around 1600. No snow transport at ridge top, calm winds, G10 tops. Temps in the mid 20s. Â
Â
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: No signs of instabilities throughout coneys bowl. 6″ new snow made for soft turns over supportable crust skiing. The new snow seemed to be bonding well to old snow surface, no new slab formation with no results via hand pits. All aspects with an easterly tilt had a noticeable crust below new snow.Â
Â
Gothic Morning Update
Date: 2/22/15
Not much here with 4″ over the past 24 hours and 0.25″ water (a big storm for this winter). The snowpack is at 35½”, just ½” below the winters deepest of 36″ on Feb. 04 (the average depth for this date is 59″). Currently calm after strong gusting yesterday, with only light snow falling. billy
Gothic
NAME:Â JSJ
DATE: 2/21/15
LOCATION: Gothic
ELEVATION: 9,400-11,150′
ASPECT: W / NW / SE / S / SW
WEATHER: showery and convective day of precip. Mostly overcast with and S2 precip with periods of S5 precip followed by broken skies and sunny spells. Gusty NW winds at ridge top and SW winds closer to valley floor.
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: 10-15cm new snow by 1600. Mostly low density and not slabbing up where sheltered from wind. Snow pit test profiles on a 34* NW aspect at 10,800′ showed buried SH layer down 20 cm reactive to shovel tilt test. Compression Test results repeatedly failed with moderate force and resistant planar fracture character at the basal facets 90cms down. Solar aspects had a 15cm thick MF crust below new snow and zero instability on a 36* slope. New snow seems to be bonding well to old snow surface where it is resting on a roughed up MF crust on solar aspects.
Coney’s
NAME: Dave
DATE: 2/21/15
LOCATION: Coney’s
ELEVATION: 9,500-10,903′
ASPECT: N – E
WEATHER: Snowy day of precip. Mostly overcast with and S2 precip with periods of S5 precip followed by broken skies and sunny spells. Gusty NW winds at ridge top and SW winds closer to valley floor.
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: New snow ranged from the trail head to north end of coney’s 5 -15cm new snow by 1700. Skin track was completely covered on our way out. Â Mostly low density snow, moderate period of wind later in the afternoon. Â Compression Test with no results.