Lawinenlagebericht

Southeast Mountains

Crested Butte Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Wed
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 2 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

A close call from near Snowmass on Monday reinforces that concern for triggering a dangerous slab avalanche on the north half of the compass.  Use caution on northerly-facing terrain with a snowpack depth of around 3 to 5 feet or on rocky slopes with a variable depth.  You can find safer conditions where the snowpack depth is consistently 6 feet deep or more.  Warming temperatures and sunshine may create small wet snow avalanches by the afternoon.  Monitor the snow surface on steep, sunny slopes, particularly around rocky areas where you could trigger a small wet loose avalanche.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    2–3

    In the Southeast Mountains, high-consequence slabs breaking on older weak layers are becoming more difficult to trigger but remain a concern on the north half of the compass, or potentially on a few southerly slopes above treeline.  The most prominent weak layers are surface hoar buried a couple of feet deep and depth hoar near the ground.   Persistent slab avalanches can be remotely triggered from low-angle terrain and break deeper and wider than you might expect.   Triggering avalanches are unlikely on mid to low-elevation, southerly aspects, or areas where the snowpack is consistently deeper than 200 cm.  Slope angles consistently less than 30 degrees are a reliable way to avoid the problem.

    A large persistent slab on Mt. Crested Butte that ran on 3/16.  This slope is shallow, variable in depth, and on the north half of the compass: a combination of ingredients you want to avoid.  

  • Loose Wet

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–1.5

    Sunshine and warming temperatures will increase the threat of shallow wet avalanches involving surface snow.  Watch for rollerballs, pinwheels, or natural sluffs to indicate developing instabilities first on east, then south, then west aspects.  Natural and triggered sluffs are most likely to initiate from very steep or rocky slopes.  Be careful in or above consequential terrain once the snow surface gets wet or sticky.  You can avoid triggering wet loose avalanches by riding on slope angles less than 35 degrees or moving to colder aspects.  

    (3/18/2024)

    Recent wet loose avalanches from easterly terrain on Whetstone.  This is a good representation of the potential size.

    Photo: Zach Guy

Avalanche Discussion

Wet snow concerns exist in both forecast zones due to seasonally warm temperatures and sunshine.  Wet avalanche problems are expected to remain small with this observation from yesterday illustrating the current character.  A few places could produce natural sluffs today; very rocky areas that are warmer than open slopes and the lowest elevation sunny slopes where warmer temperatures more effectively wet the upper snowpack.  Small human-triggered sluffs may occur on other slopes on the south half of the compass with upper-elevation terrain that holds some dry, surface snow from earlier in the week potentially gathering more volume.

The Persistent Slab problem is a more concerning and unpredictable issue.  Recent avalanche activity and observations suggest that shallower snowpacks on the north half of the compass represent the most likely place for you to trigger a dangerous slab avalanche.  You are more likely to encounter a shallow snowpack in the Southeast Mountains, but a thin snowpack can still be found in isolated places in the Northwest Mountains.  A recent natural avalanche in Terminator Chutes on Saturday and a triggered avalanche resulting in a close call near Snowmass on Monday highlight the issue.  Both of these avalanches occurred in terrain with shallower snowpack due to less seasonal snowfall and/or previous wind erosion.  You can reduce your risk of triggering a slab avalanche by traveling where the snowpack is consistently deeper than 200cm (~ 6 feet).

Thanks to everyone who helped out or participated in the Al Johnson on Sunday. We appreciate the community support and love to see all the great costumes!

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