Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/12/2019
Name: Eric Murrow

Subject: Keebler Pass area obs
Aspect: North East, East, South East, South
Elevation: 9,500 – 11,250

Avalanches:

There were a few spots that looked to have avalanched early during that last storm but refilled to the point of uncertainty. These locations are very steep rollovers on ENE aspects that were likely shallow from previous avalanching earlier in the season. A few wet roller balls on SE and S aspects near treeline but entrained no mass.

Weather: Mostly overcast skies with occasional peekaboo by the sun. Mild air temps below freezing with very calm winds. Very light snow during the day with close to two inches new from past 2 days of light snow.

Snowpack: Travelled through a bunch of NE, E , SE and S terrain that has seen little to no traffic this winter. We stomped and jumped around on a bunch on rollovers and did not get a single collapse all day. HS on NE and E terrain ranged from around 120cm below treeline up to 150cm near treeline. SE and S slopes we crossed were around 70cm below treeline and 90cm near treeline (all locations lacked any wind loading ).
S and SE slopes below treeline consisted largely of 3 to 4 facet crusts combos with little concern with current structure (add wind drifting and you might find otherwise). Below the 2 inches of new snow was a 2cm breaker crust.
We dug a test profile on a NE slope below treeline at 10,000′ and found a snowpack structure that did not inspire confidence but did not produce concerning test results. We found weak snow at the base of the last storm, the mid-December weak layer, and basal junk. See photo below. We skied steep slope nearby with a clean run out and only produced small shallow sluffs. Snowpack was very supportive and surfy with skis on with ski pen around 6 to 8 inches.
A second profile was dug at 11,250′ on an east aspect and we found a similar structure. HS jumped up a bit to around 150cm. Same story here, slabs and weak layers, but no concerning test results, but not a confidence inspiring structure. See photo below.

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/12/2019
Name: Irwin Guides Rec. Level 1 Avalanche Course

Subject: Observations from the base of Avery Peak
Aspect: West
Elevation: 9,600-10,000′

Avalanches:

We did not observe avalanches today, but saw several size 1-2 pockets on steep convex slopes on east through northeast aspects that probably ran early in the week. Additionally, one larger avalanche on the north side of Mt. Gothic looked to be 4-5 days old (Size 2-3). Our groups experienced several large collapses while traveling in the valley bottoms as well as on west facing slopes. No shooting cracks were observed. Our group skied short slopes up to 25 degrees.

Weather: Overcast, light snow, little to no wind. Temps in the 20’s. Skies cleared toward the end of the afternoon.

Snowpack: Hs ranged from 80-130cm. Ski pen 20 cm, Boot pen 50 cm. Snowpack structure was overall weak. Several column tests on low angle slopes displayed sudden collapse fracture characteristics with moderate loading steps 40-60 cm down. At least one buried surface hoar layer (~ 20 cm down) displayed sudden planer fractures during shovel tilt tests.
Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/12/2019
Name: Avy 2 – Dave Bumgarner

Subject: Snodgrass Observation Tour
Aspect: South East
Elevation: 10,320

Avalanches:

None observed

Weather: Sky: Overcast
Precip: S-1
Wind: Calm
Temp: -5c

Snowpack: Pit:
HS: 91cm to 105cm
Incline: 26
Elevation; 10,320
Snow Surface temp: -4c
CT11SC down 16cm down, CT12SC 33cm down
ECTN11 SC 16cm down ECTP15 SC 33cm down
All fractures on buried SH layers 3-5mm in size

Throughout our tour we had multiple collapses.
We skied a 28 degree slope on the 4th shredder we had a large collapse.
Photos:

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/10/2019
Name: Brian Aslum (SnoTrackers)

Subject: Ohio Pass Avalanche Activity
Aspect: East, South East, South West, West
Elevation: 9-11,000

Avalanches:

Avalanches observed post-storm across Ohio Pass road, cleared and groomed by SnoTrackers 1/10. Impressive debris. Photos show avalanche, debris, and topo map with hillshading to show slope steepness. 30º= yellows 40º=reds 45º+ = purples

Weather:

Snowpack:
Photos:

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/11/2019
Name: CBPSP

Subject: Explosive Triggered Avalanches CBMR
Aspect: North, North East, North West
Elevation: 9-12,000

Avalanches:

Un-Opened terrain representative of backcountry snowpack.

“Flatiron R2D2 ran full track and multiple slides R2’s in highlife stepping down below T-day interface very weak snowpack on N aspects not reactive to bombs but ski cuts loose dry.”

Weather:

Snowpack:
Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/11/2019
Name: Lawson Yow

Subject: Snodgrass Remote Triggered Avalanche
Aspect: North East, East, South East, South
Elevation: 9-11,000

Avalanches:

I was on the road then skiing E, SE slopes, so the only collapsing, cracking was when we approached that steep NE slope.

ENE slope, below treeline, a little steeper than 30°
Crown about 45 cm tall, about 20 meters across, ran the length of the slope, about 40 meters.
Remote triggered (by me, riding) from a ENE slope about 10 meters away.
Ran on NSFacets. Shallow snowpack, about 1 meter deep.

Weather:

Snowpack:
Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/11/2019
Name: ADB

Subject: Snodgrass-GFP freshner
Aspect:
Elevation: BTL

Avalanches:

Weather: Obscured skies morphed into broken skies. Temperatures warmed up to around freezing. Light winds and one burst of moderate wind that blew snow up on the road for a minute or two.

Snowpack: Less than 2 inches of new snow, closer to one inch.

No cracking or collapsing observed on filled in skin tracks or newly formed skin tracks.

Disclaimer: These are very hasty tests with non standardized column dimensions.
Performed dirty hand tests:
2 on SE Slope were within CT10-15 with Q3 shears. Both were very sluggish on buried surface hoar (?) about 8 to 12 inches below snow surface. (skin track in trees below the RMBL weather station).
1 on W/SW aspect had CTN. Did find a 1F crust below 12 inches of F hardness snow. (road cut above the RMBL weather station.
Photos:

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/10/2019
Name: Dave Neben

Subject: Red Lady Glades – Pizza day crust
Aspect: South
Elevation:

Avalanches:

No signs of instability, previous sluff in the bowl as reported.

Weather: Clear skies with some overcast clouds developing, temp around 22 with little to no wind.

Snowpack: Snowpack was supportive with variable conditions, light to firm crust mixed with good snow all the way up and down, wind scoured at the fence posts.
The descent was difficult at times due to the breakable crust.

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/10/2019
Name: Alex Tiberio

Subject: Snodgrass Obs
Aspect: North East, East
Elevation: 10,200

Avalanches:

Weather: Thin cloud cover and pretty warm

Snowpack: Dug a pit just north of the snodgrass saddle on a northeast face ECTN13 failing under the storm snow but not propagating. Less than 5 minutes later got a massive collapse with shooting cracks on a slope right around 30 degrees.