Boletín de aludes

Gunnison

Crested Butte Avalanche Center
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Peligro de aludes

Mon
Alta montaña
1 · Débil
Límite del bosque
1 · Débil
Bajo el límite
1 · Débil
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Desactualizado: este boletín caducó 5 years ago. Estás viendo condiciones pasadas, no el boletín vigente.

Lo esencial

You can easily push loose snow avalanches on steep terrain facing the north half of the compass.  Loose avalanches are forecasted to remain small in size and release predictably on wind-sheltered northerly terrain.  Use defensive riding techniques to prevent being pushed off cliffs, forced into trees, or down gullies where consequences are magnified.  

Problemas de aludes

  • Loose Dry

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Possible
    Tamaño
    1–1.5

    Dry loose avalanches (sluffs) are the most problematic on the north half of the compass, especially in wind-sheltered terrain near and below treeline.   Where the upper snowpack is weak and cohesionless, you can easily trigger small sluffs on slopes steeper than about 38 degrees. Ski cuts, moving across the fall-line while descending, or choosing lower-angled slopes are effective techniques to manage this problem. These point release avalanches will continue to fan out and accumulate mass in big terrain with sustained steep slope angles. Use caution above gullies where an avalanche can pile more deeply and above trees and cliffs where the consequences of a small sluff will be exacerbated. 

    A great example of sluff management in terrain where a loose dry avalanche could be more problematic because it gets funneled down a gulley.  

Avalanche Discussion

The Loose Dry avalanche problem requires your attention on all slopes that face west through north through east with slope angles around 38 degrees or steeper.  The keen observer will notice that west and east aspects were added to the distribution rose today.  This was done to better match the CBAC's use of the language "the north half of the compass".  The shady side of east and west behave much like other northerly aspects with weak, cohesionless facets at the surface just waiting to be pushed down a steep slope.  Whereas the sunny side of east and west aspects have soft crusts in the upper snowpack which greatly limits Loose avalanche potential.  So there is no real change in conditions, just a small tweak to the distribution rose to better match our long-standing description of the problem.

Loose avalanches are expected to remain small, but some slopes can produce 'bigger' small avalanches.  Long, consistently steep terrain will offer loose avalanches more real estate to gain mass and increase in size.  The longer the slope, the greater the potential for a loose avalanche to grow.  The second type of terrain that can produce 'bigger' small avalanches are locations that produced deep slab avalanches just before the New Year.  Slopes that lost their volume over a month ago have faceted quickly due to being shallow, so sluffs are able to gouge through the shallow snowpack and entrain a bit more mass.  Slopes with less than 3 feet of snowpack are suspect for 'bigger' small avalanches.

Lastly, alpine winds from the north-northwest last night and today have the ability to transport small amounts of snow and form shallow slabs on leeward terrain features.  Look for active transport or smooth snow surfaces on leeward terrain to identify fresh drifts.  You can simply steer around suspect-looking areas to avoid triggering a small slab avalanche.  Drifted slabs are expected to remain small, but could prove dangerous if you were knocked down in extreme or exposed terrain. 

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