Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 03/31/2018
Name: Ian Havlick
Subject: Gothic La Cuchara
Aspect: South East, South, South West, West
Elevation: 9400-12600
Avalanches:
Evidence of small D1 in upper Spoon from yesterday’s skiers. Initiated off turn, gained surprising amount of mass given how little surface snow was available to entrain. Also saw evidence in the major westerly gully of a decent sized wet loose avalanche that must have ran several days ago as it has a light dusting of snow on the debris. D2, would have been a nasty entrainment.
Weather: Scattered skies, cold WNW wind 10-15mph, steady. Temperatures were quite mild when out of the breeze.
Snowpack: Snowpack at lower elevations continues to consolidate and remain very supportable with minimal ski pen <11,500. Ski crampon snow gave way to good boot packing, supportive with 20cm boot pen into series of melt freeze/rain crusts. Snow booting up the Spoon was corn that didn’t know it was corn. Spring-like snow surface, but still very much cold, faceted junk below. No slab present however. No fresh windslab evident. Snow softened on south facing terrain between 10-11am, not sure west facing every got a good thaw above 11,500ft today with overcast skies developing.
Photos:
