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.
CBAC’s 2021/22 Annual Report is available for download here or in the PDF viewer below. The report relives a winter of feast or famine and highlights 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!
The Crested Butte Avalanche Center is seeking an intern for the upcoming 2022/23 season. Roles include but are not limited to: supervised and independent fieldwork and documentation, writing weekly snowpack summaries, assisting in outreach and education programs, packing and mitigation in municipal avalanche zones, editing fieldwork videos, and various other operational tasks. This mentorship opportunity is unpaid but does include a small stipend. A 3-month commitment is required at a minimum, with an expectation for 2 to 3 full work days per week. Qualified candidates will have a minimum training of Avalanche Pro 1 (or equivalent) and advanced backcountry travel skills. Please send a resume, cover letter, and 3 references to zach(at)cbavy.org by June 24, 2022.
Thanks to everyone for coming out to our appreciation party at the Talk of the Town last Friday! Congrats to Travis Colbert, who won the observation contest earning himself a new pair of Weston skis for submitting the most observations this season.
We’re excited to announce the release two new data visualization tools that we have been developing over the winter. These products come from the collaborative volunteer efforts of Reggie Park and Michael Futch. We owe them a huge thank you. Currently, the tools are best suited for desktop computer use. We are working on making them mobile-friendly this summer. The links are accessible from our desktop homepage under the Observations->Avalanches tab on the top menu. Our original avalanche rose, which is mobile-friendly, is still available on the website under the “hamburger” menu.
Each dot on the rose represents an observed avalanche. Dots are color-coded by a number of user-selected filters, such as avalanche type, trigger, forecast zone, or failure interface. Dots are sized according to the avalanche’s destructive size, and shaded by how recent they are relative to today. Note that the dots are randomly placed within the aspect/elevation octant that the avalanche originated from. Thus, dot placement is not a precise azimuth or altitude, but rather, a general location within the boundaries of that octant.  If you mouse hover over each avalanche dot, it will provide additional information and a link to the original observation. Use the time scale slider to filter by date. Another important caveat is that the rose only shows avalanche activity that we observe and document, which is not a comprehensive tally of backcountry avalanches. Our avalanche observations tend to be biased by the terrain that we have better views of or visit more often. For example, we have very good vantages of a lot of east and northeast facing paths from town, such as Climax Chutes, Happy Chutes, and Schuylkill Ridge, whereas we don’t have as many views of northwest or west facing avalanche terrain, such as the west side of the Ruby Range.
The avalanche table allows you to filter, sort, and search for avalanche activity by any number of variables, such as size, elevation, aspect, etc. You can also export your filtered results as a PDF or excel sheet.
Join us at the Talk of the Town Friday, April 8 from 6-10 p.m. as we wish to say Thank You to all of our sponsors, supporters, and the community at large. We will have complimentary Modelo beer for everyone, live music from Congo Turner & Company, and a free raffle.
The 48th Annual Al Johnson Uphill/Downhill Memorial Telemark Ski Race is this Saturday, March 19. Registration can be completed online at www.eventbrite.com/e/al-johnson-memorial-telemark-race-2022-registration-291459813147?aff=ebdssbdestsearch or the day of the race 8-10 a.m. at the check-in & bib pick-up in the Adventure Center in Mountaineer Square. $50 lift tickets for competitors without a pass will be available at the Adventure Center during check-in. A portion of the proceeds go the the CBAC.
Don’t know what telemark skiing is? Check this out!
“Stay Tuned for your Local Forecast” by Jason Sumner. This article was first featured in Backcountry Magazine last fall. The online version is now available here.
We recently published this short video which describes the elements of our forecast products to help you better understand and apply the information. This video will live on our website under the “Forecast” tab.
Say hello to your CBAC outreach team and forecasters this weekend, Saturday February 5th, 2022. 8:30-2pm. Snodgrass Trailhead. Spreading avalanche forecast awareness, maps, Big Bs Juices and high fives.
