Bollettino valanghe

Southeast Mountains

Crested Butte Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Tue
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Limite del bosco
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In sintesi

Most slopes are generally safe from avalanches, though a few types of features warrant caution. If you are traveling on steep slopes near 40 degrees, you may encounter loose snow avalanches. These will be dry loose on northerly facing wind sheltered slopes, or wet loose on steep southerly facing slopes if you are sinking into wet snow. Manage for sluffs in high-consequence terrain by riding away from the fall line or choosing mellower slope angles.  A very small chance remains for triggering a larger slab avalanche where you encounter stiff, previously drifted snow on leeward features at upper elevations; reduce your risk by steering away from old, hard drifts.  

Problemi valanghivi

  • Loose Dry

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    1–1.5

    The prolonged dry spell is causing the snowpack to lose cohesion on wind-protected northerly aspects, allowing sluffs to entrain more volume than you might expect in a few areas.  You are most likely to encounter gouging sluffs in terrain where the snowpack is shallowest and weakest: at low elevations or on slopes that avalanched last month.  Although most dry loose avalanches will be quite small and slow-moving, they can gather size and speed in sustained steep terrain.  Use sluff management techniques in steep terrain above trees, rock bands, and gullies where your skis are sinking deeply into weak, cohesionless snow.  You can avoid the problem on slope angles less than 35 degrees or by moving to terrain with a firmer or crusty snow surface.  

    An example of dry loose avalanches above Peanut Lake RD. 

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Previously drifted hard slabs remain a rare concern where they formed over buried facet layers and where the snowpack has remained mostly dry during the recent warmup.  Most slabs are 1 to 2 feet thick and stand out as harder, smoother, or more rounded-looking snow.   Riding in terrain where the snow is soft and wind-protected, or dappled from wind erosion, offers a safer option.   

    A human triggered hard slab on a small wind-loaded test slope. SE aspect at 11,800ft. (1/31)

Avalanche Discussion

Other than small loose snow avalanches, recent avalanche conditions have been quiet in the forecast area. Dry loose avalanches have been ongoing through the dry weather, while wet loose avalanche activity peaked on February 5th and 6th. Normal caution travel advice has been fitting well across the forecast area recently, and even though there has been dry weather for a couple of weeks now, there is still some nice skiing and riding out there. You can enjoy some spring-like conditions on southerly facing slopes when snow surfaces soften, find some faceted powder on sun and wind sheltered slopes, or enjoy summiting a peak while avalanche conditions are at the lower end of the spectrum.

The snowpack across Colorado is at a record low, while here in the Gunnison River Basin we are just barely above the record low. If there were no changes, the Gunnison River Basin would tie the record low on February 11th. However, changes are coming, and they just so happen to arrive on the 11th! Accumulating snow is forecast to slowly begin on Wednesday before ramping up on Wednesday night. So the avalanche danger will increase later this week as we finally see the return of winter weather. Monday will be your last spring-like weather day, so get out and enjoy it if you can. You can get your work done on Tuesday and Wednesday, and plan to get sick on Thursday.

Triggering a slab avalanche has become increasingly rare due to two weeks of dry, warm weather. We suspect any lingering concerns are most likely to be found towards the east end of our forecast area, where thin, hard slabs formed over an exceptionally thin, weak snowpack.  A forecaster demonstrated the problem on 1/31 in Upper Cement, that part of our forecast area that most closely mirrors ongoing persistent slab issues in the Sawatch Range (Example A, Example B), or this observation noting a collapse on a stiff wind pillow near Pearl Pass. 

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