Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/24/2018
Name: Ben Pritchett
Subject: Middle Brush Creek, still shallow and collapsing
Aspect: North, South East, South, West, North West
Elevation: 9,000-12,300′
Avalanches:
Triggered one small D1 facet slough on a steep, rocky thin slope on a northwest aspect at 11,500′. Observed one recent D2 persistent slab avalanche on an east aspect at 10,800′ that failed to ground. See photos.
Weather: Gentle day, partly cloudy w/ high thin clouds. Cool temps and light westerly winds.
Snowpack: This was a trip into a radically weaker snowpack than what I’ve seen in the Western part of the CBAC forecast area lately. The overall snowpack seemed very similar to Paradise Divide in early December. HS averaged 40-50cm, entire weak. Snowmobiles trenched to ground w/ any throttle. Skis were barely supportive climbing, but it was easy to open the trap doors with any tip pressure skiing down. We experienced rampant collapsing and slope scale cracking in any open terrain on sleds or skis. No cracking observed in forested or rocky areas with a perforated/anchored snowpack.
Photos:
facet sloughing in steep northwesterly terrain
snow coverage in Cumberland Basin
a recent D2 persistent slab avalanche off Teo Ridge, east aspect, 10,800′.
one of dozens of shooting cracks crossing meadows