Observations

Date of Observation: 12/24/2021
Name: Eric Murrow

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Snowmobiled out Washington Gulch Road to 10,000 feet and obs from pavement at 4pm.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: I remotely triggered a small avalanche on a northeast-facing slope at 10,000 feet, D1.
While driving by Meridian lake at 4pm, I observed a small avalanche that appeared to fail about the depth of the storm snow on a northeast aspect, failed between 1130 and 4pm.
Just before sunset, I was able to observe numerous avalanches along Slate River Corridor from Happy Chutes to Climax chutes – visibility was poor but D1 to D2.5 on northeast and east aspects. I also was able to see a D2-ish debris pile on Gibson Ridge that ran just short of the defensive berms above the county builiding on northeast aspect. (photos of avalanches were too poor to make out any details out or code accurately)
Weather: S2 – S5 snowfall between 1130 and 4pm out Washington Gulch. Winds were generally light at the valley bottom with some moderate gusts.
Snowpack: Around 330pm, at 10,000 feet, I measure 30 inches of new snow with 3 inches of snow water equivalent. I snowmobiled and booted on several steep, southerly terrain features without signs of instability or cracking. One quiet collapse while walking through a cold-sink willowy area released a small avalanche that failed somewhere in the middle of the storm snow on a northeast aspect.

Photos:

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Date of Observation: 12/24/2021
Name: Billy Barr

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Gothic townsite

Observed avalanche activity: No
Weather: Thursday had light snowfall but very dense in the morning, picking up in the afternoon with 5″ new snow and 0.64″ water by sunset. After dark it became heavy and stayed that way overnight with thankfully only minimal wind with an additional 17½” of snow and 1.60″ of water. This gave a 24 hour total of 22½” and a whopping 2.24″ of water- this time period was 10% water content, remembering that long term December average is 6.35%. The high-temperature yesterday was 33ºF and that came towards midnight. The overnight low was 29F and that is the current with no wind at this time and moderate snowfall. The snowpack sits at winter’s deepest of 38″.

No visibility but i could hear some slides running while i was out, though off the face of Gothic this is common. –I shall enjoy the morning cup of tea and an orange. billy

5136

Date of Observation: 12/23/2021
Name: D K

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Cement winter TH up Warm Springs and down Walrod

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: None
Weather: Steady snowfall at 1″ per hour. 3″ of accumulation at 430pm on 12/23. Currently 12″+ in CBS at 7am on 12/24.
Snowpack: Mostly poked at E facing slopes around 9200. Found a mix of discontinuous crusts up to 1cm thick over facets and new snowfall resting directly on facets depending on tree coverage. The Walrod slide path start zone was briefly in view and any anchoring vegetation was covered.

5135

Date of Observation: 12/23/2021

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Irwin townsite

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches:
Weather: In Irwin townsite doing last minute shovel prior to storm. Quality graupel shower at the start of the storm. 11-11:45 am. Half inch or better before turning to snow.
Snowpack:

Photos:

5134

Date of Observation: 12/23/2021
Name: Eric Murrow

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches:
Weather: At 330 pm, I measured 5″ new snow just up valley from the Gothic townsite. In the town of Crested Butte at 6 pm, there was 6″ with .45″ snow water equivalent.
Snowpack:

5133

Date of Observation: 12/23/2021
Name: Zach Guy and Zach Kinler

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Red Lady Ave and Elk Ave avalanche terrain features near downtown Crested Butte

Observed avalanche activity: No
Snowpack: The snowpack is shallow, weak, and entirely faceted, with a couple of surface hoar layers. The amount of snowfall over the next week will directly influence slab size on these slopes. See profiles.

Photos:

5132

Date of Observation: 12/22/2021
Name: Eric Murrow

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Snowmo to Poverty Gulch and skin up southernly terrain of Mineral Point/Augusta.

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: nothing new observed
Weather: Clear skies in the morning gave way to thin, high clouds in the afternoon. Temperatures and radiation were just strong enough to moisten surfaces on southerly aspects. Winds were generally light with a few periods with moderate gusts from the southwest.
Snowpack: I traveled on southerly facing terrain from 9600 to 12500 feet. I commonly found dry, faceted snow surfaces on slopes less than 20 degrees and thin (.5-2cm) melt/freeze crusts on steep southerlies near and above treeline. As you moved towards southeast and southwest aspects crusts became wafer-thin, or non-existent at the surface. Small facets (generally .5mm, but up to 1mm) were present below the surface crusts and occasionally above the crust (radiation recrystallization). Additionally, there is a layer of facets roughly 1 foot below the surface on southerly slopes (see profile). Below treeline crusts on steep slopes facing due south increased to around 4cm thick, but not fully supportive to skis (ugly breaker crust skiing).

Photos:

5130

Date of Observation: 12/21/2021
Name: Cam Smith

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: The southeasternmost NW mountains

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches:
Weather:
Snowpack: S, SW, and W slopes BTL and NTL near Splains Gulch- open areas and sparsely treed areas had sun crusts rang from Ibuprofren crust to CBD crust on the “Than Acuff knee pain scale”
Densely treed areas have held up nicely on the surface from last weeks wind and this weeks sun

N slope BTL near Ohio Pass- in open areas there was surface hoar so big and tall that every step of skinning through it sounded like shattering glass

5128

Date of Observation: 12/21/2021
Name: Evan Ross

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Washington Gulch 9,500ft to 11,500

Weather: Mostly cloudy sky in the morning, became clear for the rest of the day.

Snowpack: Stopped at 3 different spots to take a look at snow surfaces on southerly-facing slopes. The primary layer of concern in all three locations was facets on top of the crusts.

SW, 10,500ft, 33 degree slope. Dry, lightly faceted < .5mm grains above a 1cm crust. HS 55.

SE, 11,500ft, 33 degree slope. Dry, well-developed 1mm facets with multiple lines of striation, above a moist 4cm crust. HS 50.

SSE, 11,500ft, 34 degree slope. Dry, well-developed 1mm facets with multiple lines of striation, above a 3cm crust. HS 50.

Photos:

5126

Date of Observation: 12/21/2021
Name: Travis Colbert

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Up the standard (but currently a bit wonky) skintrack. Skied a few runs and did not encounter a single slab (except for obvious pillows of wind compacted snow just of the ridge). Weak, faceted snow to the ground. Fun for now, but about to get really interesting if it snows as much as forecasted.

Observed avalanche activity: No
Weather: No wind. Sunny skies. Cold in the shade.

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