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:

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.

D2.5 NE aspect of Climax Chutes

D1.5 NE aspect of Happy Chutes

D2.5 NE aspect of Mt. Whetstone

Multiple D2-2.5 avalanches on SE and E aspects of Peeler Peak

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Photo 1: Mt. Bellview, SE Aspect ATL, 2 x SS-N-R2-D2-I

Photo 2: Avery Peak SW Aspect ATL, SS-N-R2-D2.5-I

Photo 3: Avery Peak, SE Aspect ATL, SS-N-R2-D2.5-I

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 .