Mountain Weather

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 03/28/2016

Temperatures are much warmer this morning than yesterday, and winds will be on the increase ahead of our next stretch of stormy unsettled weather spinning out of the Pacific. Currently the cold front is hung up in Utah, but will slowly track toward Colorado this afternoon. We shouldn’t see significant precipitation until tomorrow afternoon, but blasting winds and another round of blowing dust from Arizona will be possible.

Today

High Temperature: 42
Wind Speed: 20-30 G60+
Wind Direction: S, SW
Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
Snow: 0-1″

Tonight

Low Temperature: 25
Wind Speed: 20-30 G60
Wind Direction: S, SW
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Snow: 0-1″

Tomorrow

High Temperature: 31
Wind Speed: 15-25 G40
Wind Direction: SW
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Snow: 2-4″

Baxter Basin Avalanches

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 03/27/2016
Name: Ian Havlick
Subject: Baxter Basin Avalanches
Aspect: North, North East, East, South East, South
Elevation: 9-11500

Avalanches: Numerous slabs littered across N-NE-N facing slopes in steep terrain. Some triggered by dry loose sluffing and pulling out slabs 1-2ft deep on steeper convex rollovers, some very widely propagating slabs off Axtell in 3rd bowl. Some Wet loose out of steep east facing slopes near and above treeline.
Weather: Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 03/27/2016
Name: Ian Havlick
Subject: Baxter Basin Avalanches

Scattered clouds, strong solar, light SW winds with moderate gusts at times. Strong Winds visible at ridgetop. New snow ranged between 10-30cm depending on aspect.
Snowpack: Moist 10cm of new snow above last March 24th crust on southerly facing slopes, on northerly slopes snow remained cold and about 30cm above March 24th crust. 60-80cm total on top of dirty, stout Feb 18th dust layer. No signs of instability under sled. Moderate wind transport on high ridgelines from SW. Cinnamon, Peeler, Schuykill Peak.

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Schuylkill Avalanche incident

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations, Accidents, Avi-map 15-16

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 03/27/2016
Name: Evan Ross
Subject: Schuylkill Avalanche incident overview
Aspect: North East, East
Elevation: 11,200ft NTL

Avalanches: See Video.

title 5.001

Test Resuts.001

Facetted grains on top of the 3/6th melt freeze crust

Facetted grains on top of a melt freeze crust was the weak layer in this incident.

 

Schuykill Avalanche

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 03/27/2016
Subject: Schuykill Avalanche
Photo of skier triggered Schuykill avalanche as seen from across valley..
IMG_0812

Mountain Weather

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 03/27/2016

Our last storm system will continue to move east, opening the door for a mild, clear day in the Elk Mountains. Clouds will increase this afternoon ahead of a weakening ripple caught in the jet stream, but no new snow is expected with this hiccup. Our next storm looks to arrive Monday, but uncertainty remains on track and strength. Small changes in direction will effect how much snow we see Monday through Wednesday.

Today

High Temperature: 30-35
Wind Speed: 5-15
Wind Direction: SW, W
Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
Snow: 0″

Tonight

Low Temperature: 20
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: SW
Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
Snow: 0″

Tomorrow

High Temperature: 38
Wind Speed: 20-30 G40
Wind Direction: SW
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Snow: 0″

Schuylkill Avalanche

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 03/26/2016
Name: 2nd hand report
Subject: Skier caught in avalanche, Schuylkill Ridge
Aspect:
Elevation:

Avalanches: 2nd hand report. Multiple skier triggered avalanches on east to northeasterly aspects. One skier caught but not completely buried in an estimated D2 avalanche that ran 1,000ft. Estimates put the crown at 18″ deep, 40ft wide before entraining more snow lower down slope and failing on the 24th melt-freeze crust.

Mt. Emmons

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations, Snow Profiles

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 03/26/2016
Name: Seth Beers
Subject: Mt. Emmons
Aspect: South East
Elevation: 12250′

Avalanches: Old crown – likely from mid-week storm on bowl just to lookers right of Green Lake on Mt. Axtell – R2.5, D2
Weather: Cloudy with periods of clear sky. Light winds from both SW and NW with blowing snow at ridge lines.
Snowpack: See Avanet pit profile attached. HST varied fro 5 cm to 20 cm throughout tour depending on elevation and exposure to wind transport with MFCR sandwich in the top portion of the snowpack. HST was unconsolidated and temps seemed to stay cool today to prevent moisture buildup on SE aspect – maybe down to ~10K’. Descended at ~330 pm.

Did see a repeated CTH results just below the DH layer below an ice layer but think this was due to isolating the column in the test. During my tour and I never punched blow the early March MFCR that sits below the recent storm layers.

03.26.16-obs

Copper creek

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 03/26/2016
Name: Zach guy
Subject: Copper creek
Aspect: North, North East, South East, South
Elevation: 9,000- 11800

Avalanches: Decent visibility and no fresh avalanches observed in this area.
Weather: S-1, overcast, calm to light winds with no transport at ridge top. Cool temps.
Snowpack: Below tree line, storm totals ranged from 3″-6″, low density, and no concerns except small sluffs. As we increased elevation towards East Maroon Pass, storm totals reached 10″-15″ near and above treeline — a little slabbier due to wind affects , but minimal previous wind loading. Some minor cracking observed on steep rollovers at these elevations. No other signs of instability.

6am Gothic

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/26/2016
Name: billy bar
Subject: 6am Gothic
Aspect:
Elevation:

Avalanches:
Weather: Wind let up and snow started up around 2 p.m. going to near midnight before stopping with even short periods of minor clearing, then cooling. Now calm with 8½” new snow and a dense 0.70″ water. Snowpack at 48½”. Cloudy and calm with no precipitation at the moment and none since midnight.
Snowpack:

Coneys

CB Avalanche Center2015-16 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/25/2016
Name: Will
Subject: Coneys
Aspect: East, North West
Elevation: 9,500-11,000

Avalanches:
Weather: Cloudy skies, colder temps, steady moderate winds with strong gust, light snow fall S1 with periods of heave snow S2.
Snowpack: 4in of new snow at the Washington Gulch TH at 8:30am. Strong wind out of the NW with snow transport off Mount Gothic and in the valley floor and most of the ranged was socked with snow all day. HS at 10,000 was 160cm to 190cm with new snow at 5-8′ with a short grapple event. Wind slabs ATL were starting to stiffen up at the top of coneys ridge about phone book in depth. E-NE slopes snow stayed dry and light with a boot pen only penetrating through the new snow stoping at the old MF interface. No major instabilities other that small Wins slab sluffs ATL.