Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 03/12/2020
Name: Evan Ross
Subject: Nice Creamy Conditions
Aspect: North East, East, South, West
Elevation: 9,200-12,200

Avalanches: Good views across the Ruby Range from upper Slate and Washington Gulch with nothing more than a few roller balls or a couple small loose wet avalanches noticed.

Weather: Overcast in the morning, decreasing to party cloudy in the afternoon. Another warm day with light winds.

Snowpack: Traveled through a bunch of different aspects and elevations with know real issues encountered. At upper elevations, there was 10″ snow that has accumulated this week. That snow was a lovely creamy sustenance that was fast and carvey. This new snow was thick enough that loose dry avalanches were not a problem. Simple hand shears were inconsistent and all in all stability was good. Got on a couple of smaller wind-loaded terrain features without any results, but didn’t make it to the highest ridgelines along the Ruby Range. Upper elevations southerly slopes had the same 10″ of thick cold new snow. At 3pm around those upper elevations southeast slopes were still nice and creamy, while straight south was a little thicker but not moist.

This weeks snow accumulations decreased with elevation. Northeasterly slopes, down to the lowest point I traveled on that aspect at 9,500, had the same thick and creamy good snow. No avalanche concerns were found. Easterly slopes warmed a bit with rising temperatures, but otherwise didn’t get much sun thanks to the AM clouds. Mid to lower elevation southerly slopes held onto intact old crusts, with variable punching through the snowpack near thin areas. Resent snow has been zapped down into the old crusts and there wasn’t much snow available for loose wet concerns. Where the old crusts did break down and the snowpack was unsportive, if something got moving some how then it could gouge into that wet snowpack becoming large in size. Just barley touched some westerly near treeline at the end of the day with no real concerns to report.

The best place to trigger an avalanche I suspect, would have been somewhere very steep with a thin and punchy snowpack. Or late in the afternoon at mid to upper elevation southwesterly facing slopes that had some recent snow that was becoming wet and could Loose Wet Avalanche on the old crusts. While avalanche concerns were not necessarily encountered on this tour, paying attention to heightened avalanche conditions for warming snow in the afternoon felt spot on. Definitely some interesting weather with all the warm temps and last nights drizzle of rain.

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 03/12/2020
Name: Eric Murrow
Subject: Afternoon sled about
Aspect: East, South East, South, South West
Elevation: 9,400′ – 11,000′

Weather: Partly cloudy in the afternoon with light winds.

Snowpack: Took a couple of quick looks at east-facing slopes near 11,000′ feet in the afternoon checking on new snow accumulations and the impact of last week’s warm weather. Unlike more southerly slopes, east-facing terrain has yet to see water move through the snowpack much. It remains in the upper 30cm of the snowpack with dry winter-like conditions below. Snow surfaces on the east aspects observed remained dry, except for slopes at very low elevations below 10k, from the cloud cover early in the day with about 4″ of recent snow.

While traveling through sunnier slopes, I did not find much terrain with a concerning Wet Loose problem. Sunny slopes in the afternoon, below 10k, had a couple inches of wet storm and rain-soaked snow, but old crusts below seemed to hang on just enough to keep a lid on the Wet Loose problem. The few spots that may have presented a problem for skier-triggering were very shallow, less than 100cm deep and at very low elevations near valley bottoms.

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 03/12/2020
Subject: Axtel
Aspect: North East

Snowpack: Axtel this morning. There was about 3” of yesterday’s new snow that was capped with a little rain crust, then about 3” of wet pow (from this morning’s blast) on top of that. It appeared all well bonded when I dug around and it only sluffed slowly on steeper angles.

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/12/2020
Name: Billy
Subject: Gothic snowfall

Weather: Only light snowfall but with a lot of water and the 2″ that fell overnight was 0.28″ water and almost all graupel which will not bond to anything until it warms up and melts. Total 24 hour total is 3½” new snow and 0.44″ of water. Currently overcast with a very light off and on snowfall. Snowpack holding at 46″ deep and very warm overnight with the temp. range 29 to 33F and currently 30F. Only light to no west wind. billy

Location: Cement Creek Area
Date of Observation: 03/12/2020
Name: Cosmo
Subject: Cement creek
Elevation: 9300’
Weather: 2.5” new snow @ 6:30am. Overnight low of about 30 degrees.

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 03/11/2020
Name: Eric Murrow
Subject: Afternoon wet snow check
Aspect: North, North East, East, South East, South
Elevation: 9,200′ – 11,500′

Weather: Overcast skiers after 11 am with a lowering ceiling throughout the afternoon. By 3pm visibility became obscured from low clouds. Light snow throughout the afternoon but no real accumulations. Light winds at ridgetop.

Snowpack: Poked a few holes on south and southeast facing slopes below treeline in the snow favored part of the forecast area. HS ranged from about 90 to 120 cm. Water from last week’s warm spell drained to the ground at all locations on south and southeast below treeline. Surfaces were 1-2 inches of moist, recent snowfall with crust between 5 to 10 cm below. Crusts were supportive to boots and wet loose avalanches concerns were not present through 330pm. One additional pit on a slightly drifted, southeast slope at 11,400′, I found snow depth around 180cm with numerous ice lens’ and percolation columns throughout the snowpack. Water appears to have drained through the snowpack to the ground at this site as well.

Shaded slopes through 11,500 feet had 5 to 6 inches of accumulations over the past few days. The top inch or two of recent snow was moist, and produced pinwheels and roller balls while skiing, but was short of producing Wet Loose avalanches.  Snowpack below the surface was dry and winter-like.

Photos:

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 03/11/2020
Name: Evan Ross
Subject: Gothic Mountain
Aspect: North East, East, South, South West
Elevation: 9,500-12,500

Weather: Low level fog/clouds over the upper Crested Butte Valley in the AM hours. Mostly cloudy sky above with the sun shining through a few holes. Light winds at ridgeline. S-1 precipitation at times with no notable accumulation. Light misting and rain around sunset in CB. That rain didn’t appear to add much measurable water. While watching outdoor furniture, chairs became wet, but never started dripping #science.

Snowpack: No avalanche concerns encountered on a 8am to 1pm tour. Southerly slopes remained supportive and soft surface crusts stayed well intact. Upper elevation easterly slopes had about 5-6″ of soft snow that has accumulated this week with no avalanche concerns or wind slab issues encountered. Below 10,500ft on easterly slopes ski pen was an inch or two with soft crust topping the rest of the snowpack. S-1 precipitation at times with accumulations near 1/4 to 1/2 inch.