Snodgrass

CBAC2014-15 Observations

NAME: Jeff, Donny

DATE: 20150222

ACTIVITY: Avy L2

LOCATION: Snodgrass
ELEV: 10,000
ASPECT: E/NE
WEATHER:  OVC, S1, Calm throughout the day, + < 0.5MM
AVALANCHE / SNOWPACK OBS:
No signs of instability until 13:30 w/ ~4.5″
@ 13:00
SS-ASi- R1-D1-O  NE @ 9,700 slope Angle ~37*  very small moved only a couple feet before losing momentum
@ 14:00
SS-ASi-R1-D1-O  NE @ 10,600 slope angle 40*  slow moving slough in forest @ ridgetop, no prop, stepping down into older facets 6-10″
SS-ASu-R1-D1-O    NE @ 10,200  slope angle 36*  30x45ft ran very slowly, 4.5″ of stormslab bonded to old snow, failing in old facets 6-10″ down & then gouging down entraining more facets like a slough
SS-ASi-R1-D1-O  @ 37* bordering alongside  same dimensions
SS-ASi-R1-D1-O     @ 37* (immediately next to previous) but running as a fan shaped loose dry.
Snowpack: large collapse with only 1 skier, immediately before these three small skier triggered on flats 80 feet away.  facets collpasing under a 2cm crust with storm slab stuck to crust.  Slight drop in elevation from ridge resulted in noticeably denser snow.  HS 100cm
on the 21st we obsereved a similiar collapse @ 10,000ft  (HS 100cm on 5 degree W slope) but with a group of 7 close together.  no cracks so weak layer could have been the facets failing under the 2cm breakable crust.  Or the still intact SH layer we found ~20cm down.
Bonding tests:
@ 13:00 @ 10,200 ECTP2  SC  (15cm down in facets covered by 2cm crust & storm snow)
No signs of surface hoar layer being reactive in 3 different pit sites (8 seperate pits) in Snodgrass saddle zone between 10,200 -10,500ft.  Only faint traces of it remaining in 1 pit, otherwise unseen.
Dec 13 layer very visible to the eye & producing CTM to CTN results but no propagation.

Gothic Morning Update

CBAC2014-15 Observations

Date: 2/23/15

Light snow during the day Sunday but steady moderate snow overnight, becoming light near sunrise.  The 24 hour totals are 13″ new with 0.87″ water and now at the winters deepest snowpack of 48″. Thankfully no wind.  Currently overcast and calm with very light snow and mild- between 16 and 18ºF overnight. billy bar

Mountain Weather February 23, 2015

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 02/23/2015

Yesterday’s snowfall was a bit later and lighter then forecasted but we still did well with a general foot of snow so far. A low pressure system south of Colorado is producing excellent snowfall in the San Juan mountains. That same moisture is carrying over to our mountains too and we’ll see continued snowfall today. The big forecasted player in enhanced snowfall for our mountains was a convergent zone the set up to our west and hasn’t moved over our areas to produce the significant snowfall that was in the forecast yesterday. On Tuesday the low pressure to our south will be moving out of the area and we’ll see a dryer transition day. By Wednesday a shortwave will be dropping into Northern Colorado that should keep us seeing snowfall later this week.

Today

High Temperature: 22
Wind Speed: 5-15
Wind Direction: S
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 2-5

Tonight

Low Temperature: 18
Wind Speed: 0-10
Wind Direction: SE, S
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 0-2

Tomorrow

High Temperature: 25
Wind Speed: 2-12
Wind Direction: N, NE
Sky Cover: Decreasing clouds
Snow: 0

Coneys, Washington gulch

CBAC2014-15 Observations

GUIDE(S): Alex &Evan
DATE: 2015-02-22
LOCATION: Coneys, Washington gulch
ELEVATION:9,400′-10,900′
ASPECT: N-NE
WEATHER: Overcast, snowing S1 throughout the day with periods of s2-3 around 1600. No snow transport at ridge top, calm winds, G10 tops. Temps in the mid 20s.  
 
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: No signs of instabilities throughout coneys bowl. 6″ new snow made for soft turns over supportable crust skiing. The new snow seemed to be bonding well to old snow surface, no new slab formation with no results via hand pits. All aspects with an easterly tilt had a noticeable crust below new snow. 

 

Purple Palace

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

LOCATION: Paradise Divide Area
DATE OF OBSERVATION: 02/22/2015
NAME: Zach Guy
SUBJECT: Purple Palace
ASPECT: North, North East, East, South East
ELEVATION: N/ATL

AVALANCHES: None, except minor sluffing.

WEATHER: Steady S1 through the day, increased to S2 around 4:00. Calm winds. Overcast. Mild Temps

SNOWPACK: By 4pm, 8″ of storm snow at ridgeline and 4″ of snow at valley bottom; no wind affect. About 2-3″ of new through the day. New snow was too shallow and incohesive for slab formation; no storm slab concerns (yet). Falling on near surface facets on North/Northeast aspects. On these slopes, the snowpack felt almost entirely faceted in many places, except as we got higher near treeline, where some lingering stronger midpack prevailed. 5 pits, never saw surface hoar, but fist hard facets in every pit in the upper snowpack. The only pit with propagating results was a windloaded feature where a shallow, persistent slab from recent wind events was over near surface facets. On East and Southeast aspects, the new snow is on meltfreeze crusts. Warm snow seemed to be bonding decently, but there were a few slopes with thin crust /facet/crust sandwich (Feb 20th and Feb 16th crusts), and these produced small, localized cracking. Bottom line – plenty of weak layers out there under this storm snow, just need more snow/wind loading.

Gothic Morning Update

CBAC2014-15 Observations

Date: 2/22/15

Not much here with 4″ over the past 24 hours and 0.25″ water (a big storm for this winter).  The snowpack is at 35½”, just ½” below the winters deepest of 36″ on Feb. 04 (the average depth for this date is 59″).  Currently calm after strong gusting yesterday, with only light snow falling.  billy

Mountain Weather January 22, 2015

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 02/22/2015

The next phase of a prolonged winter storm will get underway today. We are currently under a moist and unstable southwest flow. Weather models are forecasting several weather conditions that will add lift to this moist air and create a ban of heavy snow passing over our area around midday. Snowfall numbers are currently looking impressive for the next 24 hours. A closed low will be tracking just below Colorado south boarder through the start of the week. This low will continue spinning moisture into our area as we head into next week.

Today

High Temperature: 15
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: S
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 7-10

Tonight

Low Temperature: 8
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: S
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 7-10

Tomorrow

High Temperature: 22
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: SW
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 4-7

Gothic

CBAC2014-15 Observations

NAME: JSJ
DATE: 2/21/15
LOCATION: Gothic
ELEVATION: 9,400-11,150′
ASPECT: W / NW / SE / S / SW
WEATHER: showery and convective day of precip. Mostly overcast with and S2 precip with periods of S5 precip followed by broken skies and sunny spells. Gusty NW winds at ridge top and SW winds closer to valley floor.
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: 10-15cm new snow by 1600. Mostly low density and not slabbing up where sheltered from wind. Snow pit test profiles on a 34* NW aspect at 10,800′ showed buried SH layer down 20 cm reactive to shovel tilt test. Compression Test results repeatedly failed with moderate force and resistant planar fracture character at the basal facets 90cms down. Solar aspects had a 15cm thick MF crust below new snow and zero instability on a 36* slope. New snow seems to be bonding well to old snow surface where it is resting on a roughed up MF crust on solar aspects.

Coney’s

CBAC2014-15 Observations

NAME: Dave
DATE: 2/21/15
LOCATION: Coney’s
ELEVATION: 9,500-10,903′
ASPECT: N – E
WEATHER: Snowy day of precip. Mostly overcast with and S2 precip with periods of S5 precip followed by broken skies and sunny spells. Gusty NW winds at ridge top and SW winds closer to valley floor.
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: New snow ranged from the trail head to north end of coney’s 5 -15cm new snow by 1700. Skin track was completely covered on our way out.  Mostly low density snow, moderate period of wind later in the afternoon.   Compression Test with no results.