Date of Observation: 12/24/2021
Name: Billy Barr

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Gothic townsite

Observed avalanche activity: No
Weather: Thursday had light snowfall but very dense in the morning, picking up in the afternoon with 5″ new snow and 0.64″ water by sunset. After dark it became heavy and stayed that way overnight with thankfully only minimal wind with an additional 17½” of snow and 1.60″ of water. This gave a 24 hour total of 22½” and a whopping 2.24″ of water- this time period was 10% water content, remembering that long term December average is 6.35%. The high-temperature yesterday was 33ºF and that came towards midnight. The overnight low was 29F and that is the current with no wind at this time and moderate snowfall. The snowpack sits at winter’s deepest of 38″.

No visibility but i could hear some slides running while i was out, though off the face of Gothic this is common. –I shall enjoy the morning cup of tea and an orange. billy

Date of Observation: 12/23/2021
Name: D K

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Cement winter TH up Warm Springs and down Walrod

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: None
Weather: Steady snowfall at 1″ per hour. 3″ of accumulation at 430pm on 12/23. Currently 12″+ in CBS at 7am on 12/24.
Snowpack: Mostly poked at E facing slopes around 9200. Found a mix of discontinuous crusts up to 1cm thick over facets and new snowfall resting directly on facets depending on tree coverage. The Walrod slide path start zone was briefly in view and any anchoring vegetation was covered.

Date of Observation: 12/23/2021

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Irwin townsite

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches:
Weather: In Irwin townsite doing last minute shovel prior to storm. Quality graupel shower at the start of the storm. 11-11:45 am. Half inch or better before turning to snow.
Snowpack:

Date of Observation: 12/23/2021
Name: Eric Murrow

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches:
Weather: At 330 pm, I measured 5″ new snow just up valley from the Gothic townsite. In the town of Crested Butte at 6 pm, there was 6″ with .45″ snow water equivalent.
Snowpack:

Date of Observation: 12/23/2021
Name: Zach Guy and Zach Kinler

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Red Lady Ave and Elk Ave avalanche terrain features near downtown Crested Butte

Observed avalanche activity: No
Snowpack: The snowpack is shallow, weak, and entirely faceted, with a couple of surface hoar layers. The amount of snowfall over the next week will directly influence slab size on these slopes. See profiles.

Date of Observation: 12/22/2021
Name: Eric Murrow

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Snowmo to Poverty Gulch and skin up southernly terrain of Mineral Point/Augusta.

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: nothing new observed
Weather: Clear skies in the morning gave way to thin, high clouds in the afternoon. Temperatures and radiation were just strong enough to moisten surfaces on southerly aspects. Winds were generally light with a few periods with moderate gusts from the southwest.
Snowpack: I traveled on southerly facing terrain from 9600 to 12500 feet. I commonly found dry, faceted snow surfaces on slopes less than 20 degrees and thin (.5-2cm) melt/freeze crusts on steep southerlies near and above treeline. As you moved towards southeast and southwest aspects crusts became wafer-thin, or non-existent at the surface. Small facets (generally .5mm, but up to 1mm) were present below the surface crusts and occasionally above the crust (radiation recrystallization). Additionally, there is a layer of facets roughly 1 foot below the surface on southerly slopes (see profile). Below treeline crusts on steep slopes facing due south increased to around 4cm thick, but not fully supportive to skis (ugly breaker crust skiing).

Date of Observation: 12/21/2021
Name: Cam Smith

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: The southeasternmost NW mountains

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches:
Weather:
Snowpack: S, SW, and W slopes BTL and NTL near Splains Gulch- open areas and sparsely treed areas had sun crusts rang from Ibuprofren crust to CBD crust on the “Than Acuff knee pain scale”
Densely treed areas have held up nicely on the surface from last weeks wind and this weeks sun

N slope BTL near Ohio Pass- in open areas there was surface hoar so big and tall that every step of skinning through it sounded like shattering glass

Date of Observation: 12/21/2021
Name: Evan Ross

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Washington Gulch 9,500ft to 11,500

Weather: Mostly cloudy sky in the morning, became clear for the rest of the day.

Snowpack: Stopped at 3 different spots to take a look at snow surfaces on southerly-facing slopes. The primary layer of concern in all three locations was facets on top of the crusts.

SW, 10,500ft, 33 degree slope. Dry, lightly faceted < .5mm grains above a 1cm crust. HS 55.

SE, 11,500ft, 33 degree slope. Dry, well-developed 1mm facets with multiple lines of striation, above a moist 4cm crust. HS 50.

SSE, 11,500ft, 34 degree slope. Dry, well-developed 1mm facets with multiple lines of striation, above a 3cm crust. HS 50.

Date of Observation: 12/21/2021
Name: Travis Colbert

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Up the standard (but currently a bit wonky) skintrack. Skied a few runs and did not encounter a single slab (except for obvious pillows of wind compacted snow just of the ridge). Weak, faceted snow to the ground. Fun for now, but about to get really interesting if it snows as much as forecasted.

Observed avalanche activity: No
Weather: No wind. Sunny skies. Cold in the shade.