Level 2 Class

CB Avalanche Center2016-17 Observations

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/23/2017
Name: Donny Roth
Subject: Level 2 Class
Aspect: North East
Elevation: 9,600’ to 10,800

Avalanches: photo is of a human triggered avalanche by another party – not my group. It happened at about 2PM at about 10,200’ in the trees to the skier’s right of the main Coney’s bowl.
Weather: Mostly cloudy to overcast.  No new snow.  Light NW winds throughout the day.  Temps in the teens and low 20s.  
Snowpack:

A couple natural avalanches (D2 – R1) on the east aspect below Long Lake.  One appeared to be a harder slab, on a wind loaded slope.  The other was thinner and looked to have more moisture – maybe failing due to radiation and gliding on a melt-freeze crust.
Our column tests were dramatic.  Compression test produced repeated CTM (12) SC on the 1/19 SH layer buried 35cm down. We had ECTP (8) SC.  Our PST result was PST 20/100 End.  The “slab” above the SH is only 4F-.  It does not feel like a slab.
At the end of the day another group shared photos of a skier triggered avalanche in Coney’s Glades.  The slide appears to be 10m wide and ran 50m or so.  The slope doesn’t look to be more than 35º.  It failed on the 1/19 SH.

A human triggered avalanche by another party – not my group. It happened at about 2PM at about 10,200’ in the trees to the skier’s right of the main Coney’s bowl.

coneys