Gothic 7am report

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/08/2017
Name: billy barr
Subject: Gothic 7am report
Aspect:
Elevation:

Avalanches:
Weather: Light to moderate steady snow starting around 9 p.m. with 5″ new snow so far. I did not do a water measurement but will at 7 a.m. but estimate it to be about 0.25″ as it is a light density. No wind.
Snowpack:

Avy Cycle Obs from Around Town and Mt. Emmons

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/07/2017
Name: Arden Feldman
Subject: Avy Cycle Obs from Around Town and Mt. Emmons
Aspect:
Elevation: Below, Near, and Above Tree Line

Avalanches: See photos. Lots of evidence of natural avalanche cycle at all elevations in the Crested Butte Area. Sizes range from D1 to D2.5. The larger slides likely ran on the storm interface and the smaller ones on mid storm instabilities. Did not observe any avalanches that ran to the ground.

 

Weather: Increasing cloudiness through the day becoming overcast late in the afternoon. Calm and cold BTL. NTL and ATL Moderate winds with moderate snow transport.
Snowpack: NTL and ATL had wind stripped areas and funky wind crusts. BTL provided nice skiing.
Small surface hoar observed around my house while shoveling in the morning.

D1 NE aspect of Gibson Ridge
D1.5 E aspect of Gibson Ridge
D2 NNE aspect of Redwell Basin
D2 E aspect of Evans Basin

No signs of problematic weak layers

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area. Gothic-Snodgrass saddle
Date of Observation: 01/07/2017
Name: Evan Ross
Subject: No signs of problematic weak layers
Aspect: East, South East
Elevation: 9,500-11,500

Avalanches: Other then previously reported avalanches from the last cycle. 3xSS-N-R2-D1.5/2 Red Coon Bowl 11,400-11,800ft E-SE. N-R2-D2/2.5? East Face of Mineral Point.
Weather: Calm winds. Increasing sky becoming overcast by 1pm.
Snowpack: No obvious signs to instability while traveling on slopes up to 40 degrees. Dug down to the 1/1 interface in several locations between 10,500ft and 11,000ft on southeast and east aspects. CT test were necessary to identify the interface as layer id was otherwise very difficult in a fairly homogenous looking snowpack. CT results at the interface were hard and sudden. Though grain size difference was minimal around the interface and there was no change in hardness.

Boot pen was 40cm and ski pen about 5-10cm. HS in areas traveled was about 185cm on average.

SW Face of Snodgrass

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/07/2017
Name: Chris Pruden
Subject: SW Face of Snodgrass
Aspect: South West
Elevation: 9500′-10600′

Avalanches: On the decent we experienced some surprising whumping collapses but saw no avalanche activity.
Weather: Temps: Single digits in the morning warming as we climbed to around 20 F at its warmest.

Sky: High clouds building throughout the day.

Wind: Light and variable all day.

Precip: None.
Snowpack: Snow pack depth varied from 140cm to 190cm, deeper as we climbed. No obvious signs of instability on the way up. Resistant planar fracture in compression test with 13 taps. The extended column test also showed a resistant planar fracture but it took 3 moderate loading steps to drive the failure across the column. Both tests fractured on buried surface hoar 60cm down from the surface.

Obs at snodgrass remote trigger

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/07/2017
Name: Avy 1 Course
Subject: Obs at snodgrass remote trigger
Aspect: East, South East
Elevation: 10500

Avalanches: Avalanche Elevation: 9900 (photos attached)
This was remotely triggered from our skin track
Aspect:South east
Slope: 40
Seem to fracture on the same layer we saw results on in our pit.
D 1.5?
We got a large whumph/collapse which we felt triggered the slide
Weather: sky cover broken to scattered throughout day
No new precipitation
Temp: – 6c to -4c
Wind: Light
Snowpack: Pit Elevation: 10500
Snow Depth 177cm
Aspect:East
Slope: 26
CT17, CT21 RP 62cm down on 1cm Facets (SH?)
ECT was inconclusive but did break on the same layer as the CT test

We skied a 28 slope felt a large whumph at the bottom

file1
Remote-Trigger-Snodgrass

Flatiron Slide 1

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/06/2017
Name: CBMR Patroller
Subject: Flatiron Slide 1
Aspect: North West
Elevation: 11,400

Avalanches: SS-AE-R4-D3-O. Crown propagated 165′ across and stepped down to persistent weak layers deeper in the snowpack when the slab moved below treeline and gained momentum. Slide ran 1800′ into “Hockey Rink” and adjacent gully on skier’s left beneath “Total Recall.”
Weather: Clear, Cold, Calm
Snowpack: 12-24″ storm snow on wind affected layer. Previous wind events created firm, planar, bed surface.

IMG_2363

Flatiron Slide 2

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/06/2017
Name: CBMR Patroller
Subject: Flatiron Slide 2
Aspect: North
Elevation: 10,400

Avalanches: SS-AS-R3-D2-I
Weather: Clear, Cold, Calm
Snowpack: 12-24″ Storm snow on top of wind affected layer.

IMG_2367
IMG_2365
IMG_2364

Natural cycle in Ruby Range

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/06/2017
Name: Zach Guy
Subject: Natural cycle in Ruby Range
Aspect:
Elevation: Near/above treeline

Avalanches: Widespread naturals visible in the Ruby Range/ Peeler Basin near and above treeline that ran during the storm. Almost everything steep enough to slide had D1 to D1.5 debris, either small sluffs or storm slabs, mostly smoothed over already. There were numerous D2 to D2.5 slab avalanches as well, a couple perhaps D3. My guess is these larger crowns probably ran on the storm interface. Nothing that ran to the ground from my vantage.  See photos.
Weather: Cold, clear, calm.
Snowpack: Irwin storm total: 57″ w/ 5.56″ SWE. HST: 37″

D2.5 SE aspect of Peeler Peak

D2. South aspect of Peeler Peak

D2. East aspect of Scarp Ridge

D2. South aspect of Justice Ridge

D2.5 NE aspect of Robinson Basin

D2. SE aspect of Afley

D2.5. 6’+ crown? NE aspect of Purple Peak.

D2. East aspect of Scarp Ridge

D2 debris below Scarp Ridge. N aspect

D1.5 to D2 Debris piles below N/NE Scarp Ridge

D2.5 Peeler Peak

D3? Southerly aspects. Treasury.

D2.5 East aspect of Mt. Owen.  Repeat offender from last cycle.

D1.5. South shoulder of Ruby Peak

D2.5 SE aspect of Purple Peak

D2.5 East aspect of Owen

Paradise Divide Avalanches and CBAC Snodgrass Study Plot Snowpit

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/06/2017
Name: Arden Feldman
Subject: Paradise Divide Avalanches and CBAC Snodgrass Study Plot Snowpit
Aspect:
Elevation:

Avalanches: See photos. Fresh crowns in the paradise divide zone, D2-2.5, likely ran on the new/old snow interface.
Weather: Cold, Clear, Calm
Snowpack: see profile

Jan-6-Snodgrass-Pit

CB South Bowl

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Cement Creek Area
Date of Observation: 01/06/2017
Name: Kirk Haskell
Subject: CB South Bowl
Aspect: South
Elevation: 10800

Avalanches: No signs of recent Avalanche activity in the area .
Weather: Sunny , Calm and Cold .
Snowpack: Approached from South-easterly aspect gaining ridge . Some minor settling, but overall supportive .