Boletín de aludes

Gunnison

Crested Butte Avalanche Center
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Peligro de aludes

Wed
Alta montaña
3 · Notable
Límite del bosque
3 · Notable
Bajo el límite
2 · Moderado
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Desactualizado: este boletín caducó last year. Estás viendo condiciones pasadas, no el boletín vigente.

Lo esencial

Avalanche conditions remain tricky and potentially deadly.  A recent string of close calls and accidents in the region validate the challenging conditions.  The most likely places to trigger an avalanche can be found on the north half of the compass, where weak layers are the worst.  Today's cloud cover and cooler temperatures may diminish the threat of slides on southerly slopes if surface crusts remain intact.  Careful route finding and conservative terrain selection are the most effective ways to reduce the risk of a dangerous avalanche.

Problemas de aludes

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Possible
    Tamaño
    2–3.5

    Weak facets and collapsible crusts are widespread on the northern half of the compass and on some sunnier aspects at high elevations.  Slabs on top of these weak layers average 2 to 3 feet thick in wind-sheltered terrain. Slabs are thicker and harder in wind drifted terrain and can step down through older slabs to the ground.    This problem is becoming more stubborn to triggers, often requiring a thin spot on the slope, such as near buried rocks, trees, or where slabs thin from wind effects. Avalanches can break widely across multiple terrain features and be remotely triggered from flat terrain near or below steep slopes without warning signs. The problem is less common on south and southwest aspects, and can be avoided on slope angles consistently less than about 30 degrees.  

    These destructive persistent slabs released on Wednesday 2/19.  These exemplify the potential size avalanche you could trigger on large, drifted slopes. 

Avalanche Discussion

Avalanche conditions remain tricky around the forecast area.  Feedback for the problem has become rare, which may persuade you that the issue is less threatening and tempt you to ride steep slopes on suspect aspects.  Seeing tracks on suspect slopes without an avalanche may foster the belief that the problem is unlikely, but it may be the 3rd rider or 10th rider to find the wrong spot and cross a trigger point.  Unfortunately, knowing where trigger points exist in the landscape is simply a guessing game.  Some slopes may have thinner slabs due to less recent snowfall and be more susceptible to triggered avalanches.  Couple those thoughts with the large size of recent avalanches, and you've got yourself a deadly game of chance.

On Sunday, a skier triggered an avalanche and was partially buried on an east-to-northeast-facing slope in the Elk Creek drainage. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.  This is clear evidence that trouble can be found below treeline despite a lower danger rating than at upper elevations.  A second observation from Carbon Peak documented a recent avalanche on a north slope that appears to be very fresh and could be the result of a remote trigger from a previous group.  A third observation from upper Elk Basin reported a snowmobile-triggered avalanche from Saturday, 2/22.  Accidents and close calls continue to filter in from around the state.  The sheer volume of accidents and near misses doesn't require much interpretation...conditions are tricky, and conservative terrain selection remains your best defense.

Wet avalanche problems should largely remain quiet today due to increased cloud cover and cool winds.  Temperatures remain on the warm side due to a west-southwest flow direction.  An isolated low-elevation slope could warm enough to produce a wet avalanche, particularly if there's more sunshine than forecasted.  If the cloud cover keeps surface crusts intact due to a lack of solar radiation, then the threat of Persistent Slabs on upper-elevation southerly slopes will probably decrease.

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