Location: Cement Creek Area
Date of Observation: 03/09/2019
Name: Eric Murrow

Subject: Quick post-storm obs
Aspect:
Elevation: 8600′-9600′

Avalanches:

A few below treeline slides on northerly aspects – two were small storm slabs in small repeater paths from January cycle. Two others were large in size and looked to have failed deeper in the snowpack. Two near treeline slides on Cement Mountains north side on drifted features- one D2 and another D2.5 which may have trimmed a few trees. Did not get good views into alpine terrain at the head of the valley.

Weather: Partly to mostly cloudy skies during the midday with low-level clouds moving in and out limiting visibility. Light winds at valley bottom without any visible transport noticed at upper elevations during periods of good visibility.

Snowpack: HS measurement at 9,600′ at valley bottom was an average of about 170cm. Top 75cm’s were storm snow since 2/28 with 4.6″SWE.

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/09/2019
Name: Level 1

Subject: Snodgrass NE 9,900′
Aspect: North, North East
Elevation: 9900′

Avalanches:

No recent activity seen.

Weather: Partly cloudy skies
warming temps
High winds on Mt Emmons transporting snow W-NW Wind with Southerly deposits, Wind non existent where we traveled.
No Precip

Snowpack: HS 230-250 cm New storm snow revealed instability between warmer snow on 3/8
Multiple instabilities seen in CT down 30-50 cm with 4F characteristics above interfaces
Down 150cm Q2 PC results observed in 1-2 mm Facets 1F slab above.
Strong Mid Pack
At ground we observed 4F-F layer with Depth Hoar

Persistent slab Identified and exists currently in our snowpack.

No direct signs of instability.
Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/09/2019
Name: billy barr

Subject: Gothic 3/9
Aspect:
Elevation: 9,400

Avalanches:

Weather: More of the same with strong wind the past 24 hours and light to moderate snow, though it did stop from 10-2 yesterday and 1-5 this morning. But blizzard conditions with a lot of snow transport. The 24 hour totals are 10½” new snow and 0.73″ of water- still dense but lighter than the past few days. Pretty much obscured all the time though some brief cloud lifting to see that nothing on Snodgrass had slid as of mid day yesterday. Snowpack is at the winters deepest of 93½” but is now settling as fast as it comes down. Cooler last night with the current 15F the days low, while overcast and snowing lightly with steady wind 5-10 W gusting to 25. Snowfall this month 78″ so far with 6.83″ of water.

Snowpack:
Photos:

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 03/08/2019
Name: Irwin Cat Skiing

Subject: Large Explosive Triggered Avalanches
Aspect: East, South East
Elevation: 11,000

Avalanches:

Had our one of our biggest controlled avalanches of the year in Pre-Evac which
sympathetically/remotely set off hollywood and Vine.
n D&D, Not2D, Thornton’s and Thorn’s Glade we were
getting a 10-15cm from the last storm to sluff at a slow rate with ski cuts and hand charges.
Premature Evacuation HS-AE-R4-D3-O FC-11/22 (200cm x 50m x 200m) 7 lb. Handshot with failure on two to three
distinct layers but stepped down near the ground. Pencil hard slab.
Hollywood & Vine HS-ASy-R3-D3-O MF-01/15 (170cm x 50m

Weather: Overcast with S-1 snow becoming S3 in the afternoon. Strong Southerly winds.

Snowpack: Minimal to no signs of instability under foot today, the storm snow set up hard and
supportive with last nights new snow on top. Ski Pen of 10-15cm.
Photos:

Location: Cement Creek Area
Date of Observation: 03/08/2019
Name: Steve Banks

Subject: Taylor Canyon Avalanche
Aspect: North
Elevation: 8,600

Avalanches:

A natural avalanche released on a steep north facing aspect, running approximately 800 vertical and ran into or very close to a roadside cabin.

Weather:

Snowpack:
Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/08/2019
Name: Evan Ross

Subject: View of the Red Lady Bowl Avalanche
Aspect: South East, South
Elevation: 9,300-11,500ft

Avalanches:

Red Lady Bowl ran naturally on Wednesday 3/6. This avalanche is estimated to have run in the 60-80% range of its current potential avalanche path (R4). It was very large and destructive in size (D4). Since this avalanche ran before the peak loading event during the evening of 3/6 and early hours of 3/7, much of the crown and debris had filled back in with snow by the time this observation was made on 3/8. The deepest part of the crown observed today appeared to be in the 10 to 15 foot range. The crown width was estimated to be 4,700ft wide. Avalanche debris ran for about 3,000 vertical feet. As those debris ran through the avalanche path they pulled out a couple additional avalanches on the flanks for the avalanche path. The highest elevation of the crown was about 12,300ft in elevation. Red Lady Bowl on Mt Emmos is a southeast facing terrain feature. The crown spanned from east to southeast to south aspects.

Weather: Overcast with a few light snow showers. Light winds with some drifting at the upper elevations we traveled. Difficult to observe the extent of current wind loading at higher and more open elevations.

Snowpack: Moist and thick snow surfaces below 10,000ft. Traveled on southeasterly facing terrain at the lower end of avalanche terrain with no obvious sings to instability.

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/07/2019
Name: Christie Hicks

Subject: Climax Chutes Pics
Aspect: North, North East
Elevation: 10000

Avalanches:

Weather: Overcast

Snowpack: Took a jaunt out beyond the Slate River Trailhead to investigate a report that Mike’s Mile was buried by a big avy from the Climax Chutes. Here are some pics from the slide. No buried outhouses, but close. The pics with what look like dirt streaks and small branches were on the Slate River Road and look to be from the avalanche plume.
Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/07/2019
Name: Alex Tiberio

Subject: Avalanche on NW aspect above copper creek
Aspect: North West
Elevation: 10,500

Avalanches:

A large slide ran on Red Rock, can’t see how far it ran but looks like it took out some trees

Weather: Snow showers with wind

Snowpack: Super dense storm snow. Heaviest snow I’ve shoveled this winter ski penetration only a few inches

Photos:

Location: Cement Creek Area
Date of Observation: 03/07/2019
Name: Rob Strickland

Subject: Things I’ve never seen
Aspect: North
Elevation:

Avalanches:

some point release from steeps near Top of the World

Weather: squalls

Snowpack: … it appears that the high winds rolled the snow into those cinnamon buns we often see in the spring… but these were rolled purely by wind, not gravity. Most of them were softball sized, but one was bigger than a basketball! Whoa!!
Photos: