Date of Observation: 01/27/2023
Name: Observation to CBAC Via Text Message
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: East Bowl – Anthracites
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Kicked off small windslab btl east aspect on a small convex steep roll. 12″ deep ran 30 feet before stopping in flats. Basically end of trees on top pitch of East Bowl where at rolls steep, aka the cirque.
Weather:
Snowpack:
Date of Observation: 01/26/2023
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Cement Creek TH to Hunter Hill. Skin up SE slopes to 12,000 feet. Skies modest angled northeast slopes 12,000 – 11,600. Skied southeast 12,000 – 10,400.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: A trio of recent Wind Slabs on east aspects of Hunter Hill above treeline, D1.5 and D2. Looking into the greater Elk Mountains, it was hard to view with marginal lighting but looked like maybe a few other recent wind slabs but the photos were inconclusive.
Weather: Cold temperatures at valley bottom were below zero but slowly increased during day and as we ascended out of the inversion zone. Temps at 12,000 feet maybe hit 10 degrees. Winds out of NW remained light with some moderate gusting. Very little snow transport was observed as most windward surfaces near and above 12,000 feet were stiff and lacked soft snow for transport.
Snowpack: No signs of instability underfoot outside of some minor cracking in drifted snow above treeline. Drifted slabs above treeline were stiff and hard. Depth on southeast slopes in this area ranged from 130 – 150 cm. Depth in a northeast-facing basin was around 160cm near treeline. A test profile produced no concerning results but the mid-December weak layer remains 4-finger hard, under a 100cm slab. with clear signs of rounding (see photo). Snow surfaces remained dry on all aspects and provided excellent skiing where protected from the wind. Near surface facets formed on slopes protected from the wind; sizes are generally .5 – .7mm.
Date of Observation: 01/26/2023
Name: Irwin Guides
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Irwin Guides Cat-Ski tenure
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: 1st shot of the season in Eyes of the World ran O/G with a 3# hand charge on an
unsupported slope skiers left below the rock band. Impressive hard slab with car size blocks smoking small
trees.
New World HS-AE-R3-D2.5-O FC (180cm x 40m x 180m)
Weather:
Snowpack:
Date of Observation: 01/25/2023
Name: Irwin Guides
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Upper Upper Westwall mitigation work.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Shallow wind slabs (4-6″ deep) ATL on W aspects specific to terrain features. Large HE tests in the New World produced cracking to the ground in loaded pockets in the Thimble. In Thread/ Needle the AB only released surface snow which picked up enough speed to almost run full track. 1 large collapse with 3# covershot in the entrance to Thread.
Date of Observation: 01/25/2023
Name: Zach Guy
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: The southern side of Ruby Peak to 12,000′.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Intentionally triggered a fresh wind slab that was about a foot thick and 40′ wide, D1 in size, on a windloaded east aspect near treeline. Triggered several other minor pockets on small features.
Weather: Light snowfall, light to moderate winds with periods of blowing snow. Cold temps.
Snowpack: Sensitive fresh drifts ranged from 3″ to 12″ thick, with frequent localized cracking and occasional collapses and shooting cracks on drifted features. Some slabs were cracking on precip particles, some were on a layer of near-surface facets that formed during the recent dry weather.
A profile targeting a relatively shallow slope similar to the one that avalanched on Ruby a week ago produced unreactive test results. The slab was about 5 feet deep, up to pencil hard near its base, on 1F- rounding facets (1mm).
Date of Observation: 01/24/2023
Name: Zach Guy
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Red Mountain below treeline
Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: Did not travel near avalanche terrain.
Snowpack: See attached pit from a below treeline, NE facing slope. Moderate sudden collapse, propagating results below a 4F slab on both the mid-December weak layer (1-1.5 rounding facets) and 11/28 layer (3-5 mm depth hoar), both fist hard. Total snow depth here is 95 cm.
Snow looks to return to the Gunnison Valley this weekend, stop by and chat with CBAC staff for the latest info on the changing avalanche conditions as well as maps, stickers, rescue cards and some snacks for your adventure.
Date of Observation: 01/22/2023
Name: Evan Ross
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: West and East. 10,000ft to 11,800ft.
Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: Small sluffs. Not enough to be problematic and more a sign of the good snow quality.
Weather: Clam wind. High thin clouds slowly built in, becoming partly cloudy around noon and overcast later in the afternoon.
Snowpack: Thank you Ullr, the snow is still really good in some places, after yesterday’s northerly winds. We didn’t travel into the high alpine where snow surfaces could have been more wind affected. On this tour, snow surfaces were delightfully soft.
We started and finished the day on an east aspect between Ruby and the Dyke. The total snowpack depth was deep. The only potential concern was lingering wind slabs near ridgeline. We didn’t end up encountering a wind slab problem where we gained the ridge.
Off the west side, the snow surface in the first hundred feet was a little wind pressed, then it became soft and well-preserved powder from the last cycle. Those precipitation particles near the snow surface were still fairly large and had not decomposed much. At 10,000ft on the west side of the Dyke, the total HS was 170cm on a 10 degree west facing slope. Between 10,000ft and 11,800ft the HS varied dramatically in this location. Both due to past wind events and perhaps old avalanche activity that is no longer visible. Either way, we encountered no signs of instability while skiing and climbing steep slopes.
Photos:
The weekly snowpack summary is here. Last weekend’s warm temperatures and clear skies gave way to a series of storms that dropped 3-4 feet of snow across the valley. Storm slabs and wind slabs were the predominate avalanches reported during this cycle.
Weekly Summary January 13 – 19, 2023 compressed
Date of Observation: 01/19/2023
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Avalanches viewed from Reno Ridge in the Ruby Mountains. Views from a long way off.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: A natural slab on Owen, east aspect, and another near Bichmond (along spine of Ruby Range by Cascade), southeast aspect. Both look to be small D2 avalanches in the recent storm snow. Probably big enough to bury a person, but viewed from 20 miles away.
Weather:
Snowpack:
