Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/26/2020
Name: Zack Kinler & Eric Murrow
Subject: West Facing Snodgrass Tour
Aspect: West
Elevation: 9600′ – 10400′

Avalanches: Observed one fairly recent significant avalanche on Schuylkill Peaks east face. Appears as though a cornice fall triggered a relatively deep slab but did not propagate particularly far for the depth of failure. see photos

Weather: Light winds, decreasing clouds, strong solar and warm air temps.

Snowpack: Traveled through several short west-facing slopes on Snodgrass. HS through this terrain averaged around 115cm. The snow surface was a thin(1cm) and soft melt/freeze crust on due west slopes up to 10400′. Upper snowpack was up to 4finger soft slab resting on very weak facets in the middle of the pack which sat upon stronger facets above the ground (see photo). Hard propagating test results on this very weak snow in the middle of the snowpack but no collapsing or cracking on test slopes. A poor looking structure that could produce an avalanche on steep terrain or at locations with additional wind-loading. I would expect shallower portions of the forecast area to the east of Crested Butte would have even less slab formation on westerly slopes below treeline.

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/26/2020
Subject: Small wet slide on SW
Aspect: South, South West
Elevation: 10,500

Avalanches: Triggered a small R1-D1 slow moving wet slide ran as a slab about 20 ft wide running 50ft downhill. Crown only about 6” deep.

Weather: Warm day. High of 38 in gothic.

Snowpack: S facing terrain had gone through a melt freeze with a breakable crust by 3:15pm. Small SW facing rolls were still wet.

Photos:

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 01/25/2020
Name: Joey Carpenter
Subject: Paradise Divide S/SW
Aspect: South, South West, West
Elevation: 11k-12250k
Avalanches:
Glide cracks creeping down throughout the day on repeater path @ purple palace, ~10k.
2ish day old windslab W face gothic, crossloaded feature. Appeared to be confined to recent storm snow.
E face off SE ridge of purple. Recent storm snow, R2D2. Debris ran to bench/lake ~1600 vert. This has been a repeater path this season and appears to have run around 1/23
Debris toes off cinnamon. S faces. Ran to the trail. Again appear to be from most recent cycle.
Two more debris toes from WSC bowl. N aspect. These appear to have run possibly during last weeks (1/17) wind event.

Weather: Low clouds in the western part of the fx area persisted throughout the day. The eastern fx area had much clearer skies. Light orographic snowfall S-1 was intermittent throughout the day on Baldy’s southern ridge. Clouds increased in the area and obscured skies around 2p but had cleared by the time I returned to the trailhead @ ~330p. Winds were calm to light with no transport observed. Temps remained comfortable at 12k and warmed near valley bottoms.

Snowpack: The idea of today was to find spots to dig on S and W slopes near paradise divide. What I discovered is that there is as vast variety of mixed, shallow garbage laced with easily collapsible crust/facet combos at all elevation bands traveled through this area. SPX depths varied vastly, SW/S/SE areas along upper elevation ridgelines held an inconsistent menu of faceted junk, to facets capped by a crust, to facets capped with a crust with storm snow atop, to larger slabs resting on faceted junk. The further SE tilt held the larger slabs. Deepest spx on these aspects approached 120cm on slightly leeward terrain, to exposed bushes and rock on windward sides. The western side of the S bowl on baldy appeared heavily crossloaded while the eastern portion had bushes/rocks protruding. Large midwinter like cornices have begun to build along easterly facing terrain at upper elevations. Got one whumph and associated crack at 11.5k on a 27 degree SW aspect w/ HS of 55c. 25c storm snow and 30c of facets. Crack failed at storm snow interface. Snow surfaces below 11.5k facing SE and S moistened during the day with intense solar influence. By the time the sun tilted SW, clouds began to filter. Overall impression is that these solar influenced aspects with enough snow to ski have a huge variety in depth and layering that makes any penetrable slab structure very suspect. The skiing was also terrible and I got my sled really, reaally stuck.

Photos:

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/24/2020
Subject: Irwin Cat Obs
Aspect: East, South East, South, South West, West
Elevation: 10-12,000ft
Avalanches:
SS-ASc-R1/D1 Pre-Evac (east facing)
Snowpack notably more resistant to AS today.
Lone Wolf SS-AE-R2-D2-O FC (50cm x 25m x 250m) Small wind slab step down to persistent slab

Weather: FEW>OVC Light winds and mild temps

Snowpack: Crust formation on solar aspects

Photos:

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/24/2020
Name: Elias G
Subject: Evans/Elk
]Aspect: East, South East, South, South West
Elevation: 9400 – 12000

Avalanches: Numerous loose dry/point releases from rock bands on E/SE aspects; majority seemed to be from yesterday and a few from today. Could make out old, large wind slab avalanche up high in Evans but most of it filled back in. No new larger slides in Evans.
Upon gaining the ridge, saw a large slide on SE face of Ruby (SS-N-D3-I but very far away so hard to tell) and a large slide on E face Ruby/Owen ridge (SS-N-D3-I). Both start zones ATL.
Around 1330 as we were snacking and transitioning, a point release from a rock band triggered a small slab avalanche on a NTL, SE/S slope (SS-N-D1/2-S, we were a good distance away).

Weather: CLR all morning with FEW to SCT cloud cover by afternoon. Temperatures were in single digits at TH but felt comfortable. Increased to upper teens/low 20’s rest of the day. While skinning, felt really warm/hot but when regrouping/snacking it was primo. Calm winds most of day until we reached our highest point on the ridge, then just light winds.
Just a great day to be wandering around in the hills.

Snowpack: ~25-30cm HST since Tuesday 21st. Ski pen ~20-25cm most of the day. SW aspect more affected on open terrain and NTL but once a bit lower and sheltered, stellar.
We regrouped in a more open, almost flat area in Evans and when the four of us got together really close we noticed a collapse in the pack. After that we all started to notice more collapsing on our skin up and soon after they were not observed anymore.
Snow on S facing slopes BTL to NTL was getting heavy and moist.
Got on 35* E aspect test slope and had no action then moved on to 38-40* and saw some cracking and small amount of snow to move underneath my ski; seemed to be within the storm snow.

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/24/2020
Name:

Subject: Recent Avalanche Activity

Aspect: North, North East, East, South East, South

Elevation: 9000-13000

Avalanches:

Photos of recent activity from windshield and ski area courtesy of Zach Kinler

Weather:

Snowpack:

Photos:

Mount Axtell

Hancock Peak (Ruby Range)