Avalanches: Between Pittsburg before camo glades. Occurred between 11-1:30. Soft slab. Class 2. South facing. Maybe 40 ish feet across? Ran maybe 80 feet?
Weather: Mostly sunny, 25 degrees.
Snowpack: Fresh snow.
IMG_1359Avalanches: 1 natural slab avalanche released around 2pm on a cross loaded southwest terrain feature, WS-N-R2-D2-U. Observed another wind slab avalanche on a SE terrain feature near tree line at about 11,300ft. R1-D1.5 that may have released naturally in the afternoon for been remote triggered around the same time, by a snowmobile track a few hundred feet away.
Observed nummeres other slab avalanches in the Ruby Range and north the to the Maroon Bells Wilderness, mostly on southeast to east to northeast facing wind loaded slopes. These were generally in the R2-D2 range and would have failed during the tail in of our recent storm or today. Some of these avalanches were repeat offenders, avalanching on the same slopes that avalanche during the Christmas cycle.
Weather: Partly Cloudy Sky and strong enough sun to moisten snow surfaces on southerly slopes protected from wind. West to southwest winds direction in our area was drifting snow throughout the day onto lee terrain features. Snow plumes could also be seen in the Anthracite Range, Ruby Rang, Crested Butte Area and bordering Maroon Bells Wilderness throughout the day.
Snowpack:
One very large slab, estimated as R3-D2.5 and another smaller slab on the right of the photo. Both in the Ruby Range above the upper OB Joyful drainage.
Blowing snow throughout the day, all the way north to the bordering Maroon Bells Wilderness
Several D1.5-D2 slabs below Scarps Ridge on wind loaded northeast terrain
Several repeat offender slabs that failed during our recent storm on slopes that also avalanched during the Christmas cycle
R1-D1 wind slab that released naturally on 1/18 or was remote triggered by a snowmobile track a few hundred feet away.
1/18 around 2 pm, Large Natural in cross loaded SW terrain of Schuylkill Ridge.
Avalanches: R1-D1, skier triggered, 20-30cm X 30m crown
Weather: Mostly cloudy with a 15mph west wind with gusts up to 30mph
Snowpack:
IMG_0050
IMG_0049Avalanches:
Weather: Sunny after 10 a.m. Mild temps in the 20’s.
Snowpack: 130cm HS on a shaded NE aspect near treeline. In that spot found around 20cm of new/deposited snow over a hard crust (wind crust?). Sluffs up higher in the trees. Shooting cracks under the first skier once we got into the open.
Avalanches: Observed 3 avalanches in the Slate River drainage today. Climax chutes, north east aspect, 11000, loose dry snow, 50 ft wide, ran 200 feet. Augusta Mtn, south east, 12500, wind slab, 500 feet wide below ridge top , could not observe length, foot deep crown. Lower Purple Mtn ridge line, south, 10500, loose wet snow in shallow pack, ran @ noonish, 40 ft wide, 150 ft long, debris ran over road.
Weather: Calm, occasional gusts, 25 degrees, sun was strong when not blocked by clouds.
Snowpack:
Avalanches: Numerous natural slab avalanches on windloaded terrain, E to SE to S that failed during the tail end of the storm.  Observed 7 natural soft slabs on SE and E aspects NTL/ATL in Evans Basin and Red Lady Bowl, ~D1 to D1.5 in size, failing near or above the storm interface. SS-N-R1-D1.5-U. One larger natural on a S aspect of Schuylkill Ridge that ran 1,500 vertical feet to the valley, SS-N-R2-D2-U. We skier triggered 2 small windslabs from a SE facing ridgeline above treeline that failed 5-10″ deep on a mid-storm layer. SS-ASc-R1-D1-S.
Weather: Few clouds. Mild temps. Winds increased during the day from the W to NW. Moderate snow transport in the afternoon at ridgelines.
Snowpack: See video. 10″ of fist hard storm snow settled quickly today under sunny skies and mild temps.  It became moist on steep, southerly aspects below treeline, with pushy wet loose running under foot.  In wind/sun sheltered terrain, the new snow is over 1-2 mm fist hard facets, unreactive in stability tests.  On a more wind-affected north facing slope near treeline, the 12″ of new snow was over 4F mixed forms, <1mm.  Most windloading appears to be on S, SE, and E aspects N/ATL.  No signs of instability on steep north facing terrain.
1/18 Naturals off of SE aspect of Evans Basin
1/18 Pushy wet loose below treeline, south aspect
1/18 Large Natural off S aspect of Schuylkill Ridge
1/18 Skier triggered windlab into Red Lady Bowl. SE aspect
1/18 Skier triggered windlab into Red Lady Bowl. SE aspect
1/18. Natural on east aspect
1/18 Faint windslab visible on Red Lady
Avalanches: Large natural soft slabs off of Oh-Be-Joyful (SE ATL), Augusta (SE ATL), Baldy (E ATL), Coon Basin (SE ATL), and a smaller one on Whetstone (E ATL). All looked to have failed at or above the storm interface; nothing broke deeper. Crowns estimated 150 to 400 ft wide. SS-N-R1/2-D2-U. A lot of the old bedsurfaces on shaded aspects below treeline along Whetstone and near town sluffed naturally, entraining older facets, small in size. L-N-R1-D1-O
Weather: Plumes off of peaks in northeast corner of our zone. Elsewhere transport was minimal this morning.
Snowpack:
Avalanches: SE facing bowl on other side of ridge from 7th bowl slid naturally and we may have remotely triggered another pocket in same feature while skinning above. Slab looked 2ft deep and slid unimpressively into pungeys below (400ft). Widespread but shallow storm instability looked to have run early morning , fractured as slabs but ran as sluffs. Harmless.
Weather: Light to moderate snow during tour 9-12am. Moderate to strong west-northwesterly winds all day near and above treeline. Patches of sun toward midday and temps in 20s
Snowpack: Deeeep. 20″ of new snow and bottomless. Westerly winds were stripping snow efficiently off west and northwest facing terrain and loading onto east bowl and Lee aspects. Drifts were 6-8ft in trees and waist deep across standard ski track above 7th bowl. Anywhere the wind didn’t touch was very uncnsolidated and lacked any slab. However, more wind exposed areas had 4f hard slabs, obvious scalloping, growing cornices.
Avalanches:
Weather: Morning was overcast with moderate snow (S2). Afternoon snow was light and got some breaks of sun through the clouds Light wind; temps in teens,
Snowpack: We toured up the west side of coney’s, put in skin track & did one lap. HS ranged from 100cm to 140cm in measured areas. New snow was 15+ cm of 1-2cm +. There was twice as much snow at coney’s compared to the packing lot. Boot pen 35 cm ski pen 15cm. Ridge top wind loading, cornices have grown since last week. Skiing was super good. Lots of tracks in coney’s but still room for some more.
Avalanches: Several naturel avalanches in the alpine. Fresh D2 debris could be seen below the east face of Gothic and the Spork. The White Mountain massif had at least one R1-D2 windslab on a cross loaded rib.
Weather: Mostly Cloudy. S1 snow showers obscuring the sky at times. A few down valley gusts drifting snow but mostly light winds throughout the day.
Snowpack: HS in the 90-110 range. Not a big change in snowpack structure from slopes that avalanched during the Christmas cycle and lower angle areas that didn’t avalanche. Just a weak structure all around with about 6-7″ of new storm snow from the last several days over mostly fist hard facets. boot pin to the ground. No avalanche problems found in the terrain we traveled through.
A few terrain features looked like they may have some small cross loaded windslabs.
Natural wind slab on White Mountain Massif, cross loaded southeast aspect. R1-D2.
