AVALANCHES: NA
WEATHER: Mostly cloudy with infrequent pockets of sun. Calm.
SNOWPACK: Unlike Eldora, which received 15 inches (CAIC Facebook page), there was trace of new snow. Southerly aspects have considerable bare ground.
UPLOADS:
Date: 02/16/2015
Yesterdays forecasts where for the storm track to pass by to our east. Weather discussions this morning are hinting at that storm track moving slightly more west which will help us see some snow today. Accumulations will still be light as most moisture is east of our mountains. We may see some additional orographic snow on the western and northern boundaries of our forecast area, but that may be wishful thinking. The blocking ridge responsibly for the dry weather we’ve seen in January and February begins rebuilding on Tuesday. Leading us into a warming and drying trend through the week. Longer range, it looks like we’ll see another chance for snow next weekend but we’ll have to wait for more details on that.
High Temperature: 20
Wind Speed: 5-15
Wind Direction: NW
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 1-4″
Low Temperature: 5
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: NW
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Snow: 0-2
High Temperature: 20
Wind Speed: 15-25
Wind Direction: NW
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 0-1
WEATHER: Sunny, partly cloudy and short period of significant S3 snowfall.
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Dug pit on the northern ridge near 2nd bowl, mostly all faceted snowpack. Saw surface hoar layer 28cm down, was non reactive on a CT test. Snowpack was 27cm of F over 30cm of 4F with the rest of the lower snowpack being F facets.
WEATHER: similar to what Donny wrote in his ob, but there was a short period of significant S3 snowfall that accumulated enough to cover the old snow surface.
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Solid MF crust found on westerly aspects. Mostly all faceted snowpack found on northerly aspects with no slab evident, and on terrain steeper then 35*, facet sluffing to the ground was evident but slow, and not far running.
WEATHER: 1000: 36ºF, calm to light wind from north, visibly stronger winds aloft, partly cloudy. PM: Snow flurries, short periods of S1, no accumulation, graupel mixed in, cloud band must have been low-elevation because sun could still be felt; moderate wind from the north, no temp recorded, but clearly it cooled somewhat.
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Dug a pit at 10,250’ on a 37º east aspect. HS 90cm. No buried SH found. 2mm DH found at base. Most remarkably the old 12/13 interface had the largest facets – some DH evident. Had repeatable CTH22 (SC) on this interface. Top 10cm going through diurnal faceting. Two, old crowns (D2-R1) still present in “Rental Shop” along with a loose snow slide from the top. This is not relevant to today’s conditions, but it was a great teaching tool.
Date:
The weather is changing as we’ll be on the edge of two shortwave disturbances. Forecasts have been jumping around on their estimated track of these shortwaves and how they track will determine weather or not we see much snow. Currently the first disturbance will mostly affect Northern Colorado on Sunday night. The 2nd disturbance arriving Monday looks better as it pushes farther south into Colorado, but favors the mountains to our east and mostly affecting the Continental Divide. Both of these shortwaves are arriving on Norwest flow, so we may luck out with some better orographic snow in the mountains west of Crested Butte. We’ll see increasingly clouds today and decreased high temperatures during this period.
High Temperature: 35
Wind Speed: 5-15 G30
Wind Direction: W, NW
Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
Snow: 0-1
Low Temperature: 15
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: NW
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Snow: 0-1
High Temperature: 22
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: NW
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 1-3
Snowpack / Avalanche Obs: HS ranged from 50-120cms. Buried SH found roughly 20cms below surface and reactive to shovel tilt tests with moderate force and sudden planar fracture character. Not reactive in compression tests, as it would just become embedded in soft snow above upon compression force. Overall snowpack is mostly all facets F-4F hard. Moist and wet snow surfaces on open Northerly slopes. Dry snow holding on in dark timber on Northerlies
WEATHER: Clear, calm and warm – 35ºF @ 1000 and 47ºF @ 1500
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Traveled in meadow and lower slopes. Three big whumpfs in meadows. We could feel the drop and the crack was visible nearly all the way around us. Ski pen would go from 5-10cm to bottomless trap door conditions.
AVALANCHES: Observed a few N-LW-R2-D2 avalanches emanating below cliff bands on south west slopes. Slides likely occurred within the past week. One slide traveled about 800 feet in a gully. The snow from that slide piled up high.
WEATHER: Mostly sunny skies and calm. Very warm.
AVALANCHES: none. small facet sluff behind 3rd skier.
WEATHER: warm, light NW breeze for evaporative cooling, occasional saltation of facets across snow surface. Measured 47ºF during lunch at 1400hrs at Green Lake.
SNOWPACK: AVALANCHE / SNOWPACK OBS: Interesting and terrifying snowpack structure on N-facing apron below north facing aprons. Dug mid apron and found 10mm SH, 45cm deep, below P-1F hard slabs, with P+ bed surface. Almost pulled plug right there, but continued skintrack traverse, spread out, had guests turn music off they were listening to, and continued 30m to windbuff and old debris, with no SH. Within wider coulior, snow remained turned-able, and pretty much F+ facets to ground. Wallow-fest. South facing slope, climbing back out was punchy and unconsolidated until you hit crusts 30cm deep and several more a but deeper. Wet, mature corn grains on surface. If not for various crusts, and old sled tracks, would have been more spooked.
