Lawinenlagebericht

Southeast Mountains

Crested Butte Avalanche Center
Auf der Karte ansehen

Lawinengefahr

Fri
Hochgebirge
1 · Gering
Waldgrenze
1 · Gering
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
Open full map
Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 5 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Avalanche conditions are generally safe.  Old, basal weak layers on the north half of the compass are becoming dormant and unreactive.  Avalanches are unlikely but not impossible.  In extreme terrain where you find a shallow snowpack in rocky terrain due to wind redistribution, avalanches remain a potential.  Enjoy the generally safe avalanche conditions and continue to use safe travel habits like exposing only one person at a time to avalanche terrain and performing trailhead beacon checks.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    2–2.5

    Persistent Slabs are a very low likelihood but high consequence concern on the northern half of the compass, where faceted weak layers still lurk near the ground.  Weak layers near the ground continue to improve and are trending towards an unreactive state in the Southeast Mountains.  It has been nearly three weeks since the last natural avalanche on basal weak layers, while the last explosively triggered avalanche was on January 10th. This avalanche problem has become very unlikely to human triggers. You can further reduce your risk of triggering this avalanche problem by avoiding trigger points where the snowpack depth transitions quickly from shallow to deep.

    One of the few avalanches triggered since the New Year breaking near the ground.  This was an explosive triggered hard slab on a west aspect at Irwin, where slab depths are variable due to seasonal wind patterns.  

Avalanche Discussion

The danger rating remains LOW, but a change was made today to forecast products.  In the Northwest Mountains, the Deep Persistent Slab problem was removed and no specific problem is currently listed.  The Northwest Mountains accumulated the most snow during the wet month of December.  The deep accumulations created incredibly thick, hard slabs above early-season weak layers near the ground.  Observations over the past few weeks, including this observation from East Beckwith yesterday, have shown continued improvement in basal weak layers like increased hardness and obvious rounding of snow grains (Video from East Beckwith).  Basal weak layers have dramatically improved, but are not "healed".  They are better described as dormant and unreactive until a major loading event occurs which could cause them to reactivate.  LOW danger does not mean NO danger.  If you choose to recreate in extreme terrain on the north half of the compass, avalanches remain a potential.  Shallow, rocky, and highly wind-affected terrain will always leave an element of avalanche hazard that is often magnified by the exposed and consequential nature of extreme terrain.  Triggering a smaller-sized avalanche in extreme terrain can have dire consequences if you are pushed off cliffs or into rocks.

Regardless of where you travel in the CBAC forecast areas, avalanches are unlikely, but not impossible.  Continue to practice safe travels habits to ensure that if you are unlucky and trigger an avalanche, your partners are well-positioned out of harm's way and can provide effective companion rescue. 

Abgedeckte Regionen