Mountain Weather for Saturday, March 21st, 2015

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 03/21/2015

Strengthening high pressure over the next several days will bring unseasonably warm temperatures through the weekend, before an unsettled Pacific disturbance moves into our area next week. Increasing high clouds throughout the day today may limit the freeze tonight, destabilizing the snowpack tomorrow. Strong sun, light winds and increasing clouds will be worth watching, as well as the developing storm set for next week.

Today

High Temperature: 45-50
Wind Speed: 5-15
Wind Direction: W
Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
Snow: 0″

Tonight

Low Temperature: 25-30
Wind Speed: 5-15
Wind Direction: W, NW
Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
Snow: 0″

Tomorrow

High Temperature: 45-50
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: SW, W
Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
Snow: 0″

Gothic Mountain

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

LOCATION: Crested Butte Area
DATE OF OBSERVATION: 03/20/2015
NAME: DR
SUBJECT: Gothic Mountain
ASPECT: South, South West, West
ELEVATION: 9500-12600

 

AVALANCHES:

WEATHER: 10:00 @ 10,700’ – West aspect, 25º slope – Clear, light wind from north, -1ºC – Ski and Boot Pen both 0cm
11:30 @ 11,700’ – West aspect, 35º slope – Clear, moderate wind from east, 2ºC – BootPen between 0 and 5cm – T20: -1ºC
13:30 @ 12,600’ – west aspect, 38º slope – Clear, moderate wind from south, 2ºC – HS: 75cm, T20: -1ºC

SNOWPACK: No signs of instabilities during the day. Surface was frozen and locked up, plenty supportable while skinning and climbing in crampons. HS above 11,500’ was less than a meter in many places. Upper 30cm on snowpack were a combination of multiple melt/freeze crusts. Large facets present under these crusts. Above 11,500’ there was new snow, up to 5cm near the summit. The surface supported weight, but if you worked hard you could break through and plunge to the ground.

UPLOADS:

Snodgrass, Crested Butte Area

CBAC2014-15 Observations

GUIDE(S): Evan
DATE: 3/20/15
LOCATION: Snodgrass
ELEVATION: BTL. 10,300-9,300
ASPECT: N, SE. All slope angles under 35 degrees.
WEATHER: A couple light wind gusts. Otherwise clear sky, strong solar and warm temps.
SNOWPACK:
Surface crusts where about 10″ this morning over wet grains to the ground. These crusts where skiing well on SE aspects at this elevation around 11am. During the noon to 1pm range these crusts where breaking down on SE aspects and becoming unsupportive to boots or skis. During this timeframe we were seeing and hearing huge rumbling collapses on these aspects.
After 1pm we skied on a north aspect that was supportive to both ski and boots with good skiing. This aspect still produced very large rumbling collapses while traveling on it.

Mountain Weather for Friday, March 20th, 2015

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 03/20/2015

We had our best re-freeze in days, with lows across our area mountains falling into the high teens, with light northerly winds. A trace of new snow yesterday fell only at the highest elevations near Schofield pass. The more active pattern of disorganized moisture will continue to evolve and eject across the Great Basin over the next few days, with still mild temperatures, but falling snow levels through the weekend. Minimal snow accumulations expected at this time.

Today

High Temperature: 40-45
Wind Speed: 0-10
Wind Direction: W, NW
Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
Snow: 0″

Tonight

Low Temperature: 20-25
Wind Speed: 0-10
Wind Direction: W, NW
Sky Cover: Clear
Snow: 0″

Tomorrow

High Temperature: 45-50
Wind Speed: 5-15
Wind Direction: W
Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
Snow: 0″

Wet Avalanches Co Road 742 Taylor Park

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

LOCATION: Cement Creek Area
DATE OF OBSERVATION: 03/18/2015
NAME: Havlick
SUBJECT: Wet Avalanches Co Road 742 Taylor Park
ASPECT: North, North East, North West
ELEVATION: BTL

 

AVALANCHES: several wet loose and wet slab avalanches reported sliding over CO Rd 742 to Taylor Park. Some of these slides slid past the centerline and required cars to slow and drive around in opposite lane. Rain and warm temps were falling when the slides reportedly slid between 11-2pm on 3/18.  Broken trees seen in debris.

WEATHER:

SNOWPACK:

UPLOADS:

Wet avalanches near town and wet snow at Irwin

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

LOCATION: Crested Butte and Kebler Pass Areas
DATE OF OBSERVATION: 03/19/2015
NAME: Zach Guy
SUBJECT: Wet avalanches near town and wet snow at Irwin
ASPECT: North East, East, South East, South, West
ELEVATION: 9,000 to 12,000 feet.

 

AVALANCHES: About 5 new wet avalanches ran yesterday or the day before on Gibson Ridge’s ENE face near town, below treeline. Some were slabs, some were wet loose, and all gouged to the ground, ranging from D1.5 to D2. WS/WL-N-R2-D1.5/2-G
Several very small wet loose and blocks of slab ran today above banks of Coal Creek, NE aspects BTL. Harmless in size and no more than 8 feet of propagation.

WEATHER: Clouds increased from few to broken through the day, with a short period of graupel in the afternoon. Temps rose to 39 degrees at 10k.

SNOWPACK: 2″ of new snow insulated wet snowpack from much of a refreeze last night. On Southeast, South, and West aspects at Irwin from 10k to 12k elevation: Boot penetration was waist deep and/or to the ground from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, with wet grains through the entire snowpack. Ski pen deteriorated through the day, changing from fully supportive to punchy knee deep or deeper by the afternoon.
Stability tests producing sudden collapse failures on facet layers above and below the February 20th crust, about 40 to 50 cm deep, on both SE and W aspects near treeline. Water pooling at this crust, which was very wet.

UPLOADS:

Mountain Weather March 19, 2015

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 03/19/2015

The chance for light snowfall will return today as another northwest shortwave phases with moisture funneling in from the southwest. We are on the western edge of this interaction, so don’t expect any significant accumulations. Thankfully, any precip should fall as snow today as last night’s cool front left colder air in its wake. Clear and dry weather return on Friday and Saturday before another weak system arrives on Sunday.

Today

High Temperature: 38
Wind Speed: 4-14
Wind Direction: N
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Snow: 0-3″

Tonight

Low Temperature: 22
Wind Speed: 3-13
Wind Direction: SE
Sky Cover: Decreasing clouds
Snow: 0-2:”

Tomorrow

High Temperature: 40
Wind Speed: 2-12
Wind Direction: W, NW
Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
Snow: 0

Skier triggered wet slabs in Climax Chutes

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

LOCATION: Crested Butte Area
DATE OF OBSERVATION: 03/18/2015
NAME: Public
SUBJECT: Skier triggered wet slabs in Climax Chutes
ASPECT: North East
ELEVATION: Below treeline

SNOWPACK: Skier triggered wet slab in Climax Chute yesterday. Middle to lower elevation of the chute.

Skier triggered wetslab in Climax Chutes near Slate River

Skier triggered wetslab in Climax Chutes near Slate River

Large Wet Loose Avalanches in Evans Basin

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

LOCATION: Crested Butte Area
DATE OF OBSERVATION: 03/18/2015
NAME: havlick
SUBJECT: Large Wet Loose Avalanches in Evans Basin
ASPECT: East, South East
ELEVATION: 9000-10000

 

AVALANCHES: Several large wet loose avalanches gouging down to ground below E-facing cliff bands. Entrained quite a bit of snow, pushing size 2 range. not quite wet slab, but did propagate horizontally a bit more than the classic triangular shaped wet loose activity.

WEATHER: overcast, scattered rain and snow showers. warm temps, light west winds

SNOWPACK: Quite warm, unconsolidated snow, punchy. melt water continues to advance, but quite variable, from full depth in shallower areas to 6-10″ in others.

UPLOADS:

Mt. Axtell

CBAC2014-15 Observations

GUIDE(S): Donny

DATE: 15-03-18

LOCATION: Axtell / Green Lake
ELEVATION: 9100’ to 11,800′
ASPECT: Mostly north and northeast with a few pitches of southern aspect
WEATHER: 0945 @ 10,000’ – Low angle, north aspect – Overcast, flurries, light wind, 4ºC, SkiPen: 5cm
1100 @ 10,800’ – Ridge – Broken sky, calm, 4ºC, SkiPen: 5cm, BootPen: 20cm
1230 @ 11,600’ – Top of Couloir – Overcast, S-1, light wind, 4ºC, SkiPen: 5cm, BootPen: 5cm
1400 @ 11,800’ – Top of second couloir – Overcast, S-1, light wind, 3ºC, SkiPen: 15cm, BootPen: 30cm (to ground)
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Skied moist and wet snow all day.  Felt a few “whumpfs” in flat terrain as surface crust collapsed.  When sun would break through for a moment a greenhouse effect could be felt and rollerballs and pinwheels would be present immediately. This was never prolonged.  No other signs of instabilities.  I probed during the entire climb of a north facing couloir.  Average depth was less than a meter and it obviously slid quite a bit during the previous storm cycle.  The snow is dense and consistent throughout the snowpack.  Surface was “hot pow” and didn’t want to run down hill.  On the way home, south aspects were completely isothermal and the north facing glades were wet.