Location: Brush Creek Area
Date of Observation: 02/26/2020
Name: Eric Murrow
Subject: Teocalli Avalanche
Aspect: South East, South
Elevation: above treeline

Avalanches: Spotted a recent avalanche on the sunny side of Teocalli in the early morning. Photo is a bit blurry but through binoculars, it appeared as though the crown was drifted over a bit. Likely failed sometime on 2/25. It also released a  slab in the apron out of view on SE aspect which looks to have failed in old snow as well.

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 02/25/2020
Name: Steve Banks
Subject: Gothic Obs

Avalanches: D1 wind slab releases on the East Face of Gothic. Looks like most of the main line, but shallow and at various times. Several small crowns lower down above cliffy terrain.

Weather: Farkin cold. Single digits to teens with a biting North wind. Wind did taper in the afternoon. Skies cleared through the day and AM flurries amounted to nothing. Obvious wind transported snow in the alpine all day.

Snowpack: It’s shallow out here. We stayed in the valley today but the snowpack is notably weaker and more faceted than surrounding areas. New stiff windboard present even BTL on exposed slopes.

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 02/25/2020
Name: Evan Ross
Aspect: North East, South East
Elevation: 9,500-11,500

Weather: Overcast sky with very light snow in the morning became partly cloudy by mid-day. Temps felt very cold and were in the teens. Light to Moderate northerly winds with some blowing snow NTL.

Snowpack: Skiing aggressively in the terrain with now signs to instability. Some minimal surface sluffing in steep terrain, but the northerly winds and cold temps have hardened up the snow surfaces on northerly terrain. Those same northeasterly start zones were getting blown out the northerly winds.

A short section of SE low elevation terrain had about 5″ of recent snow on the most recent crust. That snow was bounded well to the crust and those crusts were also supportable. Thicker drifts could be found on cross-loaded terrain.

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 02/25/2020
Name: Zach Kinler

Aspect: North, North East, South East, South

Elevation: 10,000′-11,200′

Avalanches:

Observed 1 shallow slab avalanche low on slope just above a cliff band on Axtel. Poor vis prevented good views of the Ruby Range.

Weather: Partly Cloudy and Cold with light-moderate northerly winds near and below tree line. 10F at trailhead to start and finish tour, not sure it warmed much in between. Blowing snow observed in open areas at all elevations.

Snowpack: Avoided drifted slopes greater than 35 degrees. Below tree line sheltered north aspects had 12″-15″ snow since 2/23. Quick hand shears yielded stubborn results as new snow was bonding well. No signs of instability skiing on slopes over 35 degrees. Once on the ridgeline the winds were transporting snow into 1-2 ft drifts.
Quick pit on SE at 11,200 HS:170 cm PF: 45 cm. 3 MFcr in the upper snowpack all produced non-propagating ECT results. No signs of instability on this sheltered slope.

Mt Axtell, north aspect

SE 11,200′

Wind transport from northerly winds near treeline.

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 02/25/2020
Subject: D1 BTL 80º NE
Aspect: North East
Elevation: 10200

Avalanches: D1-1.5 on rollover 45º broke on the new snow/old snow interface about 8″ -10″ deep. about 4m wide crown & ran about 40-50m until the slope flattened out to high 20ºs into the timber. Enough to knock you down given the slope angle. Observations from below were blocked by trees so relying on what ski partner described.

Small open slope in wind sheltered trees with branches still loaded with storm snow.

Weather: Hoth: Cold & Windy, Mostly overcast giving way to increasing sun around noon.

Snowpack: 120-160cm +
mostly supportive, ski pen ~20-30cm with some trapdoors around rocks & logs in steep sections.

ski pole handle probing found 4F midpack decreasing to 4F- & Fist towards ground.

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 02/25/2020
Name: Ian Havlick
Subject: Kebler Pass Obs
Aspect: East, South East, South, South West, West
Elevation: 10,000-12,000

Avalanches: Most significant avalanche observed was a size 2 natural slab avalanche failing mid morning mid slope Ruby Dyke zone, east facing above treeline. Other small skier triggered windslabs in our tenure.

Weather: Cold cold cold. below zero temperatures at ridge top this morning, warmed into low teens. Cold northerly winds persisted most of morning. Storm total from last 48hrs 6.5″ .4 SWE.

Snowpack: Snowpack mostly stable in terrain traveled, though did not touch the true wind loaded terrain in surrounding backcountry. Given natural avalanche this morning, would guess stability is still questionable in the high alpine where wind loading continues. Dense but stable windward continues to provide variable ski quality, though bonding well to underlying snowpack on all but steepest, wind loaded terrain traveled today.

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 02/24/2020
Name: Zach Kinler
Subject: Gothic slides
Aspect: South East, South
Elevation: ~12000′

Avalanches: Observed two widely propagating wind slab avalanches on Gothic Mt. One on a SE aspect of the “Spork” and the other a S aspect on the west side.
SS-N-R2-D2-I
SS-N-R1-D1.5-I

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 02/24/2020
Name: Lawson
Subject: Little slide on Richmond
Aspect: East
Elevation: 11-12

Avalanches: Small slab in bottom of martini couloir
Happened between 9 and 10 am this morning

Weather: Windy, sunnier than expected

Snowpack: Was on Camo, did 2 probe tests. 230 and 190.

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 02/24/2020
Name: Steve banks
Subject: Sending through the Squall
Aspect: North, North East
Elevation: 9,800-11,400

Avalanches: Only small loose dry in steep sheltered terrain

Weather: Heavy squall moved through 8-9:30 am. Big winds, temperature drop and heavy precipitation dropped about 2”. Then the sun came out and it got COLD.

Snowpack: Good soft snow skiing conditions. No wind or storm slab development in protected areas though wind board found at lower elevations where exposed to wind. In upper start zones we found over 2 meter of snow with a weak, faceted base. No crusts on steep North facing slopes.

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 02/22/2020
Name:
Subject: Glide in slate river drainage
Aspect: West
Elevation: 10000ish. Maybe 250-300ft above 1st switchback on paradise divide rd

Avalanches: Glide avalanche to ground, surprisingly thin snowpack in area. Didn’t run, but very steep.
Weather: Tropical. No wind. Light cloud cover coming in from south. Sunny until we left at 1230
Snowpack: Not surprisingly Big changes from aspect to aspect. East-west rode well. North was holding great. South east- southwest had crust and was quite firm to breakable East has some wind ribbon but didn’t find any win board. This was the only sign of instability we encountered both up and down.

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