Observations

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Location: Coney’s

Date of Observation: 12/13/2020

Name: Kirk Haskell

 

Subject: Anyone Can Ski Pow

Aspect: North East

Elevation: 12000 something

Avalanches:

Evidence of previous Avalanche Activity, no signs of current

Weather: Cold calm

Snowpack: Pretty stiff . One of those days where you’re psyched to run sweep so others can bust it up for you. Top to bottom windslab even in the trees . Going to be an interesting set up for next round of storms.

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Location: Gothic Townsite

Date of Observation: 12/13/2020

Name: Billy Barr

Subject: Gothic 7am weather update

Weather: A steady dense cold weather snowfall all day Saturday with not a lot of buildup at 4½” new and 0.43″ of water as snow is at 21½” deep now. Thankfully there was little wind with it. The 24 hour period high was 15ºF and it is now at -14ºF, the coldest so far this winter. Currently clear and calm. The weight of the dense new snow should press on the lighter early snow. Storm total was 17½” of snow with 1.21″ of water. And now for a lovely, sunny day ahead. billy

 

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Location: Cement Creek

Date of Observation: 12/13/2020

Name: Cosmo Langsfeld

Subject: Cement Creek Snow

Aspect:

Elevation: 9250

Avalanches:

Weather: Snow let up around midmorning Saturday, and though it never really quit snowing all day, only another 1.5″ accumulated, bringing storm totals from Thursday night through Sunday morning to ~4.5″. Thermometer said -12 at 6:30am.

 

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Location: Gunsight Road

Date of Observation: 12/12/2020

Name: Ian Havlick

Subject: Touchy Conditions Mount Emmons

Aspect: North, North East, East, South East

Elevation: 9000-11,200

Avalanches:

Numerous remotely triggered D1 avalanches failing off road cuts within old snow on steep rollovers and raod cuts. Junky facets 30cm deep, new snow 30cm deep in terrain travelled. Slabs were fist+ hard above fist- 2-3mm facets. Fracture line profile on one remote trigger, 10,800ft, NE facing revealed ECTPV (1 tap) and CT3 failing 35cm deep within upper 3cm of old facet surface.

 

Weather: S-1 to S2 most of the day, some partial midday clearing but no vis into the alpine. calm conditions. Temps 5-17ºF

Snowpack: Simple structure, new snow on top of really weak old snow. same same as other parts of zone. appeared the yesterdays snowfall was slightly denser than todays and slightly denser than the old snow it fell on, creating just barely enough cohesion and hardness difference to allow propagation. Seemed the slab had increased reactivity in the afternoon with increased temperatures and a little more time to consolidate than earlier in the morning. Didnt seem like as much an increase of load (though some was occuring) as evolution of the slab character.

Photos:

 

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Location: Coneys S Trees

Date of Observation: 12/12/2020

Name: J B

Aspect: North East, East, South East

Elevation: up to 10,800

Avalanches:

A few notable natural slides overnight in terrain up to 35 degrees on ESE up to D2.

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Date of Observation: 12/12/2020
Name: Colorado Backcountry AVY L1
Aspect: North East
Elevation: 10,000

Avalanches: 1 Tree Bomb triggered D1

Weather: Overcast, calm, cold. Mostly light snowfall with about 2″ new snow on the cars when we returned to the trailhead.

Snowpack: About a 35cm soft slab, sitting on exceptionally weak facets. When we tried to isolate columns, with hands or ski poles, the columns failed before they were fully isolated. We never felt any collapses, but traveling in areas with slope angles between about 15 to 30 degrees, often produced shooting cracks and blocks of new snow shifting on the facets below.

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Location: Snodgrass

Date of Observation: 12/12/2020

Name: Eric Murrow

Subject: Reactive Slabs on Snodgrass

Aspect: North, North East, East

Elevation: 9,500 – 11,100

Avalanches:

Triggered two avalanches from ridgetop D1’s but enough volume to take you for a ride and pound you into trees and rocks, one on east, one on northeast (see photos).
Observed a natural on a north-facing feature that ran early in the day, as bed surface had just a dusting of new snow, D1.

 

Weather: Overcast skies, very light winds (trees holding lots of snow), consistent light snow, S-1, between 10am and 230pm accumulated a bit more than an inch.

Snowpack: Storm totals since Friday morning were up to 35cm (13″) at 11,000′, 130pm. Measures SWE was .9″. Snowpack was often ‘trenchy’ with little support on east and north aspects. It was easy to trigger D1 avalanches on slopes greater than 35 degrees that faced north through east. Not enough volume to bury you, but enough to hurt ya from hitting objects. Fractures propagate up to 75 feet. No collapsing or remote triggering experienced. Needed to walk right to the edge of the slope for slabs to break. The weak basal snowpack was quickly entrained as slab ran.

 

Photos:

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Location: Cement Creek

Date of Observation: 12/12/2020

Name: Cosmo Langsfeld

Subject: Cement Creek

Aspect:

Elevation: 9250

Avalanches:

Weather: Storm total as of early Saturday morning is about 3”. Snowing lightly, though rate of snowfall had been increasing throughout the morning.

Snowpack:

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Location: Gothic Townsite

Date of Observation: 12/12/2020

Name: Billy Barr

Subject: Gothic 7am weather update

Weather: A little late today as internet was out for a while, and it snowed! (so i had to actually go out and do some work). –Generally light snow yesterday with occasional short periods of moderate snowfall. Then it picked up after dark before stopping and even clearing for a few hours. Clouds moved back around 5 a.m. Currently it is overcast and calm with the 24 hour snow total of 10″ new with 0.57″ of water and the snowpack at 20″. Temperature range was a high of 13ºF, low of -06 and current +3. Looks like a very light snow starting back up

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Location: Coneys

Date of Observation: 12/11/2020

Subject: Lots of activity

Aspect: North

Elevation:

Avalanches:

New snow (8”) was fracturing across the slope. The slope would essentially shatter above and below me but would not slide. The snowpack was weak and you would sink to the ground while skinning/skiing.