New Observation Platform

CBACAnnouncements, Backcountry Notes

The CBAC is rolling out a new observation platform this season, in partnership with the National Avalanche Center.  This platform will be used by most avalanche centers around the country, so you’ll be looking at the same familiar tools if you go skiing or riding in California, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, etc.  The platform also improves our analysis capabilities and data management, and is better suited for future developments like a mobile app.

The observation form is intuitive. You can choose between the short form for simple text descriptions and photo uploads, or a long form which allows you to enter avalanche and weather details, along with problem assessments.  The observation viewer has three tabs: observations, avalanches, and visualization tools.  Check them out!  There are a few examples below. As with any new tool, there will be a bit of a learning curve for all of us, but hopefully you’ll find some of the new features helpful for your backcountry adventures.

FAQ’s

Do I have to provide a location when I submit an observation?

Yes, the form requires a location name and a map pin.  The location is used in our analysis tools and it is helpful for us to understand how your observation fits into a bigger picture of regional patterns.  If you’d prefer to protect your secret stash, you can drop a pin at the trailhead where you started from or in the general area of travel.

What about observations from previous seasons?

All observations from previous seasons are archived on our website still. You can find them under “Resources” from the website menu.  We are working on ingesting historical avalanche data into this new tool.

Where is the old avalanche rose?

The new visualization tools allow you to filter your search spatially or by avalanche size, aspect, elevation, trigger, problem, etc, similar to the rose.  We are currently working on linking the new database to our avalanche rose so that it still functions.  We’ll add it back to the website when/if that happens.

What if I don’t want to fill out an observation form?

You can still text us (970-444-2170), email us (cbavalanche@gmail.com), or tell us what you saw at the trailhead.

A mobile app?

The Northwest Avalanche Center has been developing a mobile app with offline functionality.  We will be working with them to make this resource available to our community in the future.

 

 

CBAC 2022/23 Annual Report

CBACAnnouncements, Avi Blog, Backcountry Notes, News

CBAC’s 2021/22 Annual Report is available to view or download here.  The report relives one of the biggest winters of this century, along with the outreach and operational accomplishments of the CBAC.  We also recognize the many sponsors, donors, and partners who are critical to our mission.  Thank you!

End of Season Party!

CBACAnnouncements, Events, News

Join CBAC staff and friends on Friday, April 7th at the Talk of the Town to celebrate another great season. Enjoy a free beer and music by Atmospheric Whiskey River. The party starts at 5:00 pm and the music starts at 6:00 pm.

Fireside Chat February 9th

CBACAnnouncements, Events, News

The Fireside Chat is back on Thursday, February 9th with Dr. Jeff Deems. Jeff is the Co-Founder, CTO, and Formulation Lead for Airborne Snow Observatories, Inc as well as a scientist at the CIRES National Snow and Ice Data Center. He explores spatial variability in mountain snowpacks using lidar remote sensing, physical modeling, field measurements, and of course, climbing skins and skis. He has spent many hours flying over and touring the snowpack of the Upper Gunnison Valley in an effort to understand the nature of mountain snowpacks. In this Fireside Chat, we will look at using Airborne Snow Observatories data to get accurate inventories of basin snowpacks and explore some emerging best practices for using digital mapping tools to navigate avalanche terrain and risk. We will be at Tully’s in CB South, starting at 7:00 pm but feel free to show up early to grab a drink, some delicious food, and catch up with your buddies.

Trailhead Day at Snodgrass

CBACAnnouncements, Events, News

Snow looks to return to the Gunnison Valley this weekend, stop by and chat with CBAC staff for the latest info on the changing avalanche conditions as well as maps, stickers, rescue cards and some snacks for your adventure.

Trailhead Day-Ohio Pass Trailhead

CBACAnnouncements, Events, News

CBAC staff will be at the Ohio Pass Trailhead this Saturday, January 14th providing up-to-the-minute reports and conditions from the backcountry. Stop and say “hey” and grab a free map, snacks, rescue cards and stickers.

New Encyclopedia on Avalanche.org

CBACAnnouncements, Backcountry Notes, Events

We’re excited to announce the release of a completely new encyclopedia on avalanche.org.   We think it’s a great resource for learning or refreshing your avalanche knowledge, with over 250 terms organized into sections relating to avalanches, snowpack, terrain, weather, and human factors.  CBAC lead forecaster Zach Guy authored this project with contributions and revisions from the National Avalanche Center, the Sawtooth Avalanche Center, and the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center.  The American Avalanche Association and the National Avalanche Center orchestrated and funded the project.

Here’s the link, which is also under our resources tab: https://avalanche.org/avalanche-encyclopedia/

New Accidents Map

CBACAccidents, Announcements, Events, News

We just published an interactive accidents map that allows users to explore and read reports of avalanche fatalities, injuries, and burials in the Crested Butte forecast area as a learning resource.  You can access the map under the “Resources” tab on our website, or at this link.   Although we did our best to dig up old accident accounts, some of our records may be incomplete.