Bollettino valanghe

Southeast Mountains

Crested Butte Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Thu
Alta quota
3 · Marcato
Limite del bosco
3 · Marcato
Sotto il limite
3 · Marcato
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In sintesi

A strong winter storm produced both a natural and human-triggered avalanche cycle on Tuesday. Dangerous avalanche conditions remain for Wednesday. Do your homework before riding near avalanche terrain and identify ways to decrease your risk of triggering another avalanche today. 

Problemi valanghivi

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Likely
    Dimensione
    1–2

    Soft slabs 10 to 18  inches thick on average, have recently accumulated over widespread persistent weak layers. As the slab continues to settle, avalanche behavior will begin to exhibit more persistent slab characteristics. There will be a very slow decrease in how reactive the avalanche problem is, with an increased chance that slabs will propagate wider, through or around terrain features, and for remotely triggering avalanches. 

    This avalanche problem is the largest in size on the lee sides of wind-loaded terrain features. While the problem will be most sensitive to human triggering on the northern half of the compass. On southerly-facing slopes, the weak layer distribution is not as widespread. In some areas, you will find those same slabs sitting on facets/crusts and creating the same dangerous avalanche conditions. While in other areas the weak layer may not be continuous across the terrain, or if the slope didn't hold old snow prior to the last storm, there will be an absence of the problematic weak layers. 

    Shooting cracks are a warning sign that you are flirting with a potentially deadly avalanche problem. 

Avalanche Discussion

Storm totals by Tuesday afternoon averaged in the 1 to 2-foot range. In some cases, it may have felt even deeper, as your feet were likely swimming in the weak sandbox below. Schofield Pass accumulated about 1.4" of SWE. While the Butte weather station recorded .7 SWE and the Upper Taylor weather station also recorded around .7 SWE. Winds during the storm were strong from the SW to NW. In the alpine, those winds averaged in the 20 to 30 mph range with gusts near 60. 

We've changed the avalanche problem from storm slabs to persistent slabs. As slabs continue to settle, they will exhibit more persistent slab characteristics. For example, the total snowpack depth at Schofield Pass decreased by around 3 to 4 inches since yesterday. This isn't from melt, this is from the snowpack consolidating and settling. The slab may be gaining strength, but the weak layers below are not. 

Even with poor visibility yesterday, observations of both natural and human-triggered avalanches came pouring in. We expect to see the same today. In many cases, the natural avalanche activity was small or failed early in the storm, so they can't easily be observed from a distance. The vast majority of avalanche activity is of course being observed on the northern half of the compass, where we had the most continuous old snow coverage and weakest layers of snow before the last storm. Under the observations tab, you can find yesterday's observations from areas like Kebler Pass, Slate River, Washington Gulch, and Snodgrass. The CBAC forecast team is so grateful for the observations that the backcountry community around here provides. Though, just like your mother would say, be careful out there folks. These are some dangerous times. 

EVENTS:

  • Avalanche Awareness Night is December 3rd and Beacon Brushup is December 4th.  Details here.

Regioni coperte