Gothic Updates

CBAC2014-15 Observations

Tuesday A.M.

Not a lot of new snow but terrible wind going strong most the night but letting up a bit after midnight though still at it.  Gusts reached 50 mph during the night.  Only 4″ new snow with 0.46″ water but substantial snow transport such that breaking trail this morning was easy as the snowpack has already set up.  Water content of snow the past 3 days has gone from 6% to 9% to 11%.  Visibility still flat but i have seen slide debris on lower portions of Snodgrass (though not as much as i had hoped).  Wind continues but with gusts only in the 20 mph area now.  Not a nice day, oh no, not at all.  billy

Mid-day Tuesday

Light to moderate snow through the morning but more significantly the wind has stopped.  Visibility better though cloudy all morning.  I have seen about 6 slab releases on Snodgrass, all small though maybe one you could call almost moderate as it crept into it’s tun-out zone, starting at all elevations.  Prominent feature is steep fracture areas, 1 to 2 feet deep running through multiple snow layers.  The one very large run  off the high point just as one comes out of the trees heading into Gothic did not run and has not all winter, which is a problem.

Gothic mountain is still in the clouds so no defined fractures visible, but some light run out debris is.
billy barr

Snodgrass Natural Avalanches

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

LOCATION: Crested Butte Area
DATE OF OBSERVATION: 03/03/2015
NAME: Gary Dotzler
SUBJECT: Snodgrass Natural Avalanches
ASPECT: North East
ELEVATION: 9600-11,000

 

AVALANCHES: Many naturall avalanches visible on Snodgrass looking south from Gothic townsite, Once mountain became visible around 11am Tuesday, March 3, 2015 I could see many natural slides on Snodgrass in all the usual locations. At least 8 slides visible and these are all the parts of Snodgrass furthest from CB, and less skied by town folk. Couldn’t see the popular ski runs on Snodgrass but would assume similar scenario.

I’ve seen Snodgrass with more slides on it, after bigger dumps, which indicates to me that a lot of the un-slid areas are near the tipping point but not quite there for naturals to occur, this would give me pause were I to ski an area that didn’t slide (which I’m not gonna do).

WEATHER:

SNOWPACK:

UPLOADS:

Mountain Weather March 3rd, 2015

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 3/3/15

Here comes the final kick! As moisture moves east of us today, an upper level trough crosses the state, shifting flow from southwest to west to northwest through tomorrow. Unstable air will continue to fuel snow showers. Wind speeds remain elevated today and pick up again tomorrow on the backside of the trough. An associated cold front swoops down from the Northwest tonight intensifying snowfall. Kebler Pass and Paradise Divide can do quite well with this shift in flow direction. Ridging from the West Coast will bring an end to the storm on Wednesday, with skies clearing and a warming trend in the latter half of the week.

Today

High Temperature: 20
Wind Speed: 20-30, gusting to 40 mph
Wind Direction: SW, W
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 5-9″

Tonight

Low Temperature: 0
Wind Speed: 15-25
Wind Direction: W
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Snow: 3-6″

Tomorrow

High Temperature: 10
Wind Speed: 10-20, gusting to 35
Wind Direction: W, NW
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Snow: 0-2″

Kebler Pass Obs

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

LOCATION: Kebler Pass Area
DATE OF OBSERVATION: 03/02/2015
NAME: Havlick
SUBJECT: Kebler Pass Obs
ASPECT: North, North East, East, North West
ELEVATION: 10-13000K

 

AVALANCHES: N face Ohio, NW shoulder Ohio, numerous D2 slides in anthracites proper. One size 2 on north facing Scarp Ridge observed, as well as fresh windslab on Ruby/Dyke saddle around 1615. pics of axtell crowns

WEATHER: mild, light winds increasing in afternoon from SW. heavy snow started falling at 1700hrs. riming conditions.

SNOWPACK: moist heavy surface snow (6-8″) was reactive in isolated areas to explosives. Minor cracking throughout day.

UPLOADS:

Red Coon Natural Avalanche

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

LOCATION: Crested Butte Area
DATE OF OBSERVATION: 03/02/2015
NAME: Evan Ross
SUBJECT: Red Coon Natural Avalanche
ASPECT:
ELEVATION: 11,700

 

AVALANCHES: Observed from town a natural avalanche in the Red Coon Basin. Estimated as an R2-D2.5 but I could only see a portion of the crown. The avalanche was located on the Northeast facing portion of the generally East facing bowl.

WEATHER:

SNOWPACK:

UPLOADS:

Very Large natural and remotely triggered slides on Axtell

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

LOCATION: Crested Butte Area
DATE OF OBSERVATION: 03/02/2015
NAME: Zach Guy
SUBJECT: Very Large Natural and remotely triggered slides on Axtell
ASPECT: North, North East, East
ELEVATION: 10,000 to 12,000 ft

 

AVALANCHES: Most impressive avalanche cycle I’ve ever seen on Axtell. Slides in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th bowls that all ran yesterday or today. The last 4 ran wall-to-wall, up to 2,000 feet wide and most running 1,500 – 2,000 vertical to valley floor. These were N/ATL on N/NE/E aspects, with one wrapping to SE.. All crowns were 2-3 feet deep, failing on the same near surface facet layer buried mid-February and gouged to the ground in places. With the exception of a D2 in 1st Bowl (BTL), the remainder were all D2.5 to D3’s (N/ATL). Two (maybe 3?) were triggered remotely by a party in front of us from the ridge. The other three were naturals. We also remotely triggered a narrow D2 that ran to valley floor.

WEATHER: Warm. Periods of very light snow. Moderate southwest ridgetop winds with moderate snow transport. Overcast skies.

SNOWPACK: Last night’s snow was dense and top heavy. Lots of tree bombing today and southerly surfaces became moist. On north aspects near/below treeline, about 70-90 cm of 4F to F hard snow down to our fist hard, mid-February facet layer. All facets below that.

UPLOADS:

Crowns were 70 – 90 cm thick.  Generally 4F to 4F- slabs over fist hard facets.

DSCF5634-001

 

 

2nd Bowl on Axtell.  (North aspect N/BTL)

DSCF5638-001

 

Wang Chung Face (North aspect, near treeline)

DSCF5646-001

 

3rd Bowl..”The Pencil”  (Northeast aspect NTL)

DSCF5652-001

 

4th Bowl.  Hard to see the crown but it ran wall to wall, 2000 feet wide.   (E, NE, N aspect ATL)

DSCF5654-001

 

5th Bowl above Green Lake. Also ran full width.  (NW-N-NE ATL)

DSCF5659-001

 

Extent of crown lines observed 3/2/15.  The last crown line to lookers left is estimated.

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Gothic Morning Update

CBAC2014-15 Observations

Date: 3/2/15 – 8AM

Only very light snow Sunday afternoon, then moderate much  of the night so 8″ new and water a very dense 0.67″ with snowpack at 59″.  Warmer wetaher made for overnight snow at nearly 9% water compared to just over 6% the day before so a heavy snow sits on top a light one.  –Overcast now and warm (27ºF) but light is flat and though i do not see signs og slides it is difficult to tell.  billy

Mountain Weather March 2, 2015

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 03/02/2015

Don’t worry, just because its not snowing now we still have more snowfall on the way, but the timing of the heavier pulses is harder to nail down. There is a deep moisture tap extending from Southwest Colorado all the way to Southern California. This moisture will be the fuel for our next round of higher precipitation rates this afternoon or tonight. A cold front is currently moving across Utah and as it moves into our area later today/tonight it should produce bands of heavier snowfall with increasing winds. Snowfall will continue on Tuesday as another trough moves into Northern Colorado on northwest flow. This front will be even colder and we should see another pulse in snowfall rates as this system moves into central Colorado. Mt CB has seen some of the best accumulations recently while we’ve been under southwest flow. This flow will be changing to more westerly or northwesterly on Tuesday and increase the accumulations for the western portion of our area.

Today

High Temperature: 27
Wind Speed: 15-25 G 45
Wind Direction: SW
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 3-6 PM

Tonight

Low Temperature: 15
Wind Speed: 20-30 G55
Wind Direction: SW, W
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 6-12

Tomorrow

High Temperature: 18
Wind Speed: 20-30 G45
Wind Direction: SW, W
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 4-8

Irwin Multiple Triggered Slides

CBAC2014-15 Observations

Date: 3/1/15
Location: Irwin, Kebler Pass.

Wind slabs developed on higher terrain, persistent slabs 1-2ft deep resting on Feb 24th greenhouse crust with 1-1.5mm facets resting on top of crust. Wide propagation, and fast running slides.

BOTTOMLINE: Several large explosevly triggered slides (1.5-2) failing on storm inversion, and near crust facets above Feb. 24th greenhouse layer.