Axtell

CBAC2014-15 Observations

NAME: Evan Ross
DATE: 15-02-17
LOCATION: Kebler Pass Area
ELEVATION: 9,500’ to 11,500’
ASPECT: N



WEATHER: Mostly in the trees all day. Looked like mostly clear sky and we obviously couldn’t feel the wind much.

SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Old growth timber and mostly treed slopes had nice dense carvey snow with light NSF on top. More open slopes where much more faceted with a deeper and variable ski pen. Sloughing was the only avalanche problem encountered on both of these slope characteristics.

Dug on a north aspect just below ridgeline at 11,400ft. HS 140cm, Jan 11th SH was down 25cm with mostly F+ hard snow on top. Shovel tilt produced easy and clean shears on this interface and CT test had no results. The rest of the snowpack was 4f-1f and faceted. Had no other layers of concern. I thought we mite find a few isolated slopes on the decent with a wind hardened slab over the SH but that wasn’t the case. Maybe somewhere else.

Kebler Pass Area

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

LOCATION: Kebler Pass Area
DATE OF OBSERVATION: 02/17/2015
NAME: Zach Guy
SUBJECT: Kebler Pass Area
ASPECT: South East
ELEVATION: 12,000 ft.

 

AVALANCHES: Several touchy soft slabs, 4-6″ deep, 15-20 feet wide, running only 20-30 feet, harmless in size, failed above the storm interface. Saw a similar in size natural windslab off of the East shoulder of Mt. Owen. No other signs of instability observed.

WEATHER: Light winds with strong gusts from NW to SW. Periods of moderate snow transport

SNOWPACK: Isolated wind loading just below a leeward, SE facing terrain feature, up to 6″ deep, and some fresh cornice formation up to a foot thick. Otherwise, no wind loading or significant drifting. Could see old snowmobile and ski tracks all nearby bowls.

UPLOADS:

Mountain Weather February 17, 2015

CB Avalanche CenterWeather

Date: 02/17/2015

It’s going to feel like real winter outside.  A jet streak will nose over Colorado today, bringing strong winds out of the northwest, with alpine wind chills dipping into negative digits. The notorious high pressure ridge begins to rebuild and then flattens over the west coast, shifting the storm track east again, and bringing warmer weather and clearing skies through Wednesday and Thursday. The chance for more snowfall returns by this weekend as another storm tracks over the state from the Northwest.

Crested Butte Area

CBAC2014-15 Observations

Guide- Jake
Location- Axtell glades
L- 9400-10800
Aspect- NNW

Wx- intermittent snow flurries and upslope wind. Cold, guessing in the 20s (can’t believe that counts as cold these days).

Spx/Avalanche obs- no recent activity noticed by this cowpoke. Anything open with enough of an angle to hit sun was a crustwich on top of facets. A quickie on a NNW open slope at 25 degrees yielded a couple of CTM results under the highest crust, a stout MFC 15 cms thick. Treed and shaded stayed soft.

Paradise Divide Area

CBAC2014-15 Observations

NAME: Evan
DATE: 15-02-16
LOCATION:Paradise Divide Area
ELEVATION: 9000-11000
ASPECT: NE

WEATHER: Pulses of snowfall only added up to a light dusting. Down valley winds were easily blowing this snow around but it all seemed insignificant in the big picture.

SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Didn’t make it to ridgeline, so traveled on open slopes below treeline. SH was down 20-30cm and popped some nice clean hand shares. The slab above has lost a lot of cohesion in the last weeks and didn’t seem concerning in our area. Crusty snow surfaces on slopes less then 25 degrees and previous wind affected surfaces on sub-ridges that jutted out from the terrain. No signs to instability.