Lawinenlagebericht

Southeast Mountains

Crested Butte Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Fri
Hochgebirge
1 · Gering
Waldgrenze
1 · Gering
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Kernpunkte

Up to a few inches of new snow won't change conditions much.  Dry loose avalanches, or sluffs, are starting to gouge deeper in some terrain.  If the snow surface is deep and cohesionless, use sluff management techniques in steep terrain.  There is a very small chance that you can trigger a hard slab avalanche on a previously wind loaded slope at higher elevations.  

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Dry

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

    In wind-sheltered terrain on the north half of the compass, you can trigger loose snow avalanches on steep slopes where the upper snowpack is weak and cohesionless.  Most sluffs are harmless, but a few could gouge through the weak snowpack and entrain more snow than expected.  Use caution above terrain traps such as long-running gullies or above trees and cliffs.  You can manage the problem by riding off the fall line or pulling out of the way to let your sluffs go past you.  You can avoid the problem by riding on lower slope angles less than about 35 degrees.  

    1/3:  A skier triggered sluff on Schuylkill Ridge that gouged through the snowpack.  

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    1–2

    After below-average snowfall for the last three weeks, weak layers near the ground are dormant on most slopes. A northerly wind event on Christmas formed a newer generation of persistent slabs on leeward terrain features where hard, drifted slabs buried facets or faceted crusts in the upper snowpack. Those newer slabs have now also become stubborn or unreactive to triggering. The most concerning terrain features are where a recently formed hard slab is hanging on an unsupported slope such as a convexity, over a cliff band, or in extreme terrain.   When in doubt, move to softer or more wind-eroded snow.  

    Stay wary of slopes where hard, drifted slabs formed over very weak, faceted snow, like this natural avalanche that ran during the Christmas wind event.   

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday, we got our first report of a facet sluff gouging to the ground on Schuylkill Ridge - the result of the snowpack gradually growing weaker with each day of dry weather.  We've listed loose dry avalanches as a problem that now requires more than just normal caution.  If your skis are sinking through the snowpack toward the ground, expect sluffs to be larger and more challenging to manage.  The gouging issue is most likely to be found on old bedsurfaces or slopes with shallower snowpacks; elsewhere we've been finding the snowpack is still supportive with minor sluffing  (Ex. Elk Creek, Ex. Happy Chutes).   If we get up to a few inches of snow today, that won't change the danger but it could add a little more volume to our sluffing problem or initiate a few small naturals in extreme terrain. 

Triggering a slab avalanche has become very unlikely across our forecast area.  Most slopes are dormant under our current drought, but with additional snow and windloading, they could become more reactive in the future.  We pulled persistent slabs off of the problem list from the Northwest Mountains due to the lack of avalanche activity, worrisome observations, or significant loading in recent weeks.  The problem is also rare in the Southeast Mountains, but with a bit more activity in recent weeks, we still recommend managing for the problem on heavily wind-drifted slopes, especially in unsupported or high-consequence terrain features.  

Avalanche conditions are expected to start changing this weekend or into next week, depending on how upcoming storm systems evolve.  Keep reading the forecast!  If we get more snow than expected today, watch for the avalanche danger to bump up a level with tomorrow's increasing winds.  

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