In this video, CBAC highlights why avalanche conditions are bad and how to reduce your risk. Help us spread the word to visitors and locals alike during this holiday week.
Red Lady Tour
Date of Observation: 12/25/2021
Name: steve banks
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Up Red Lady skin Track, down the Glades
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Adding to Evan’s observation….I kicked a cornice from the ridge line at 11,600 and knocked off a loveseat sized chunk. This did some weird propagation dance to the Southeast (down ridge) then up to the steeper wind loaded upper road cut area. Ran surprisingly far down into the lower benches with a large powder cloud.
Noted several very large avalanches on Axtel as Evan mentioned. Pics aren’t great, but added them below. Looks Like 4th and 5th bowls went big. Debris below 3rd bowl looks like Wang Chung flushed.
Also had a mega roofalanche in town.
Weather: S1 from 10 am till noonish with light SW winds. Then dramatic clearing and notable warm up with less wind after noon.
Snowpack: The new midpack is rather supportive with the most recent, drier snow on top making for good riding. Ski pen off the skin track was about boot top. Below 10,800 on a South facing slope the sun was warming the surface noticeably.
Gothic 7am Weather Update
Date of Observation: 12/26/2021
Name: billy barr
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Weather: Really little to report. The wind stopped mid day Saturday and there was gradual clearing and it dropped to 2ºF during the night before clouds moved back in and is at 24F now. There was scattered light snow with 1″ new and water of 0.11″. The wind started back around 3 a.m. and has not let up. A nasty day ahead. Snowpack sits at 39½” and sky is obscured and windy 8-15 SW gusts to 30 with a very light to no snowfall. –This winter is still 23% below average on snowfall but, get this, just 1% below in water content, which shows how dense these storms have been.
Lower Slate River avalanches (previously reported but photos here)
Date of Observation: 12/25/2021
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Avalanche obs from the road.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Photos and coding for avalanches previously reported.
Photos:
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- Natural avalanche in Happy Chutes, northeast aspect.
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- Numerous, widely propagating avalanches in Climax Chutes
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- Natural avalanches near Happy Chutes.
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- Natural near Happy Chutes on northeast slope below treeline.
Whetstone Avalanche (and one from Cement Mountaint) – upper elevations
Date of Observation: 12/25/2021
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Roadside avalanche obs.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Numerous near and above treeline avalanches on northwest through north through east aspects.
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- Cement Mountain avalanche in northwest-facing bowl.
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- Main Bowl avalanches.
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- Avalanches on easterly terrain near Whetstone’s centeral hight point
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- Multiple naturals in Lucky Boy Basin.
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- Several large avalanches in Barcelona Bowl.
Whetstone Avalanches, below and near treeline
Date of Observation: 12/25/2021
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Roadside avalanche observations of Whetstone
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Natural avalanche activity below treeline on north through east aspects. See photos for some exampbles.
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- East-facing below treeline avalanche.
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- Widely propagating avalanche on easterly Mancos Shale feature.
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- Wide avalanches facing east down at the southern end of Whetstone.
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- Several near treeline avalanches facing easterly directions.
Shred Lady Glades
Date of Observation: 12/25/2021
Name: Evan Ross
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Up the main track, down the glades.
Avalanches: On the up track, we watched a group trigger a large slab avalanche on a NE to E section of Red Lady Bowl.
While skiing a low-angle section of Red Lady Glades we triggered a large avalanche on a much steeper east-facing aspect at 11,300ft below treeline. The crown height averaged an estimated 85cm, and varied between an estimated 75cm to 120cm. I dug into the crown on a low angled section of the slope where it pulled back close to the ridge. At that location the slab released on small facets at the 12/23 interface. I’ve watched this slope release a few times now. This was the furthest I’ve seen it run through the flats in the runout.
Red Lady Bowl had a natural avalanche that released on from the east-facing lookers left corner of the bowl. This is a heavily wind-loaded terrain feature. The crown was mostly unrecognizable and covered with new snow. The avalanche debris were also difficult to see. The avalanche appeared to run fairly far into the lower angled terrain below the bowl.
Mt Axtel had several large to very large avalanches released during the last storm. Green Lake Bowl, 4th Bowl, and the Pencil area. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a good view or good picture to more closely examine the crowns or debris piles.
Weather: Mostly cloudy sky and orographic snow showers in the morning, dissipated throughout the day. Few clouds in the evening. Light winds where we traveled. Snow plumes at times on the higher terrain but not consistently loading.
Snowpack: The Santa Slab is fat. We observed no obvious signs of instability given the thick slab, but observed two impressive avalanches release. Dug one pit at on a low angle south-facing slope at 11,000ft. The 75cm Santa Slab was well bonded to the 12/23 crust. No test results above or below the crust. Impressive ski quality. The low angle was ripping.
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- Red Lady Bowl
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- East RLG
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- 3/4th a human sized Santa Slab. South BTL.
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- Runout
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- East RLG
Avalanche Obs from Gothic to Copper to Brush Creek
Date of Observation: 12/25/2021
Name: Zach Guy
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Viewed from afar from Mt. Crested Butte
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: My vantage was of mostly southerly and windward aspects (southeast to west). Relatively less activity on these aspects, but a handful of large slides.
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- Near Avery
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- Debris below Gothic, I drew in the estimated runout but tough to say because of wind textures
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- Evidence of moving snow on the east face of Gothic.
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- A west facing crown towards Pearl Pass that was subsequently smoothed over by wind
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- Debris below White Ridge
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- Crown near Camel Humps
Paradise Divide to Schofield Pass avalanche obs
Date of Observation: 12/25/2021
Name: Zach Guy
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Viewed from afar from Mt. Crested Butte
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Numerous large avalanches on various aspects. I had good views of easterly and southerly aspects, but from afar. Sizes and avalanche type coded below are estimated from a distance, without clear views of runouts.
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- Several crowns on Bichmond
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- Relatively small slides on Augusta
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- Multiple large crowns on Bellview’s South and Southeast bowls
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- Large crown, Rustler’s Gulch
Southern Ruby Range obs
Date of Observation: 12/25/2021
Name: Zach Guy
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Viewed from afar from Mt. Crested Butte
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Numerous large avalanches on various aspects. From my vantage, I could only see the east half of the compass, and I saw activity on all of those slopes. Sizes and avalanche type coded below are estimated from a distance, without clear views of runouts.
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- Crowns on Afley Peak
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- Crowns and debris on Owen (background) and Scarp Ridge (foreground)
