Hot pow

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 04/01/2016
Name: Zach Guy
Subject: Hot pow
Aspect: South East, South, South West, West
Elevation: 10,000-12,000

Avalanches: Lots of aggressive hi-marking in Ruby Range with no signs of instability except a couple small natural wet loose off of rocky SE and S aspects ATL.

Weather: Few to scattered clouds, calm to light winds, temps rose to 20F at 12k and 30F at 10k.

Snowpack: ~8” of snow settled and moistened through the day on most slopes. Some rollerballing and minor wet loose from ski cuts on sunbaked slopes this afternoon.

Mountain Weather

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 04/01/2016

Early this morning the cold temps may not feel like April, but that strong sun will warm things up quick. High pressure and dry conditions are building today with little change in the weather as we head into the start of next week. Temperatures will be on a warming trend with mostly clear sky. Our next change in weather looks to be around Tuesday with a quick trough moving through Colorado.

Irwin Cat Operation

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 03/31/2016
Name: Irwin Guides
Subject: Irwin Cat Operation
Aspect:
Elevation:

Avalanches:
Weather: no signs of instability. The skiing was boot top deep and we did not feel an old layers below in the top bowl. I put in a couple of ski cuts when I dropped in but got no movement. Seems like the new snow has bonded well in this area.
Snowpack: no signs of instability. The skiing was boot top deep and we did not feel an old layers below in the top bowl. I put in a couple of ski cuts when I dropped in but got no movement. Seems like the new snow has bonded well in this area. HST 10″

Mt Emmons

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/31/2016
Name: Dave
Subject: Mt Emmons
Aspect: North, North East, North West
Elevation: 9000 -12,392

Avalanches:
Weather: Warm, Overcast, Clouds building throughout day. We got some sun holes. Calm winds with a couple of light gusts. had a 20 min periods of S1 snow around that did not seem to accumulate to much.
Snowpack: no signs of instability. The skiing was boot top deep and we did not feel an old layers below in the top bowl. I put in a couple of ski cuts when I dropped in but got no movement. Seems like the new snow has bonded well in this area.

Sluffs and variable persistent slab results

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/31/2016
Name: Zach Guy
Subject: Sluffs and variable persistent slab results
Aspect: North, North East
Elevation: 9,500-11,600

Avalanches: Skier triggered one D1 loose dry avalanche, which ran about 500 vertical feet, big enough to bury someone if it was in a gulley.
Weather: Few clouds this morning quickly built to overcast, then decreased to scattered. S-1 to S1 midday, with maybe an inch of total accumulation. Light valley winds from the west, calm winds elsewhere where we traveled.
Snowpack: 4″ of low density new snow over older settled powder; sluffing easily but no storm slab concerns. Dug 4 pits on northerly slopes and found a mix of propagating and non propagating results on the March 6 facet layer, 18″ to 3 ft deep. Structure was most concerning mid slope near treeline, 500-1000 ft below the windloaded ridgeline, where the slab thinned but was still stiff enough for propagation.
1.) BTL N aspect: 45 cm slab over 1mm rounding facets; no distinct hardness change and no results ECTs
2 & 3.) NTL N and NTL NE (tree shaded) at windloaded ridgeline. 90-100 cm slab (4F+ or 1F-), over 4F-, 1-1.5mm rounding facets. Hard ECTN results and SC Compression test results.
4.) NTL NE, midslope. 4F+ 60 cm slab over F+ rounding facets on an almost in-perceivable faceted crust. ECTP14, SC results. See photo.

Propagating extended column test results on a NE aspect NTL

Propagating extended column test results on a NE aspect NTL

Coney’s

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/30/2016
Name: Dave
Subject: Coney’s
Aspect: East
Elevation: 9,500-10,700

Avalanches:

Weather: Warm, partly cloudy with with periods of strong sun, light winds had a couple periods of S1 – S2 snow that did not seem to accumulate to much when we where out there. Visibility went in & out throughout day. Wish I put sun screen on for a 2nd time. Felt like a lot of green house effect.

Snowpack: New storm snow 2 – 3 in, no signs of instability. Skin track is still in good shape.

Mountain Weather

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 03/31/2016

A disturbance embedded in northerly flow will sag over Colorado today. Clouds should quickly fill in the blue skies this morning, and a couple of inches should accumulate by the end of the day, favoring the northern end of our forecast zone. A high pressure ridge begins to broaden and move over the West, bringing a dry and warming trend through the weekend.

4″ new, no instabilities

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 03/30/2016
Name: Zach Guy
Subject: 4″ new, no instabilities
Aspect: South East, South, South West, West
Elevation: 10,000-12,000

Avalanches: Some brief views of southern Ruby Range and Scarp Ridge, with no recent avalanches.

Weather: Overcast and broken skies, Periods of S-1 to S1, with 2″ of accumulation through the day. Calm winds in the morning increased to moderate with stronger gusts by the afternoon, variable directions but generally SW. Light snow transport in the PM. S3 at the end of the day.

Snowpack: 3-4″ of creamy storm snow, with minimal signs of wind drifting at all elevations. Fell on thick, supportive crusts on ESE to SW aspects, and settled powder on due west. No signs of instability.

Mountain Weather

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 03/30/2016

The low pressure system over Utah is shearing apart, bringing wrap-around northerly flow out of Wyoming this morning. We could see a couple more inches of snow later today as moisture streams in from the north boosted by afternoon convection, favoring the northern edge of our forecast area. Another wave diving down from Montana will bring additional snowfall on Thursday. Conditions start to dry out and warm up for the weekend.

Mountain Weather

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 03/29/2016

Another complicated spring storm rolls into the Elk Mountains today. A deep low centered over the Utah/Nevada border is streaming warm moisture into our region under southwest flow. Colder air aloft and a strong surface front will amplify snowfall later this afternoon, and some favored locations could see 8″ or more by sunset. The low retrogrades tomorrow bring northerly flow and continued lighter snowfall.