05-06 Observations from CO Central & Northern Rockies

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There was a close call in Mines 2, northeast of Berthoud Pass, Sunday morning. The fourth skier in a party triggered a small slide that then propagated to 100' wide, but avoided being caught. Two skiers were waiting below, 50-60' up the opposite gully wall. The first avalanche caught and partially buried them, and then triggered a sympathetic release 200' above the trapped skiers. The second slide fully buried one of the trapped skiers, and buried the other to their neck. The fully buried skier was found within a few minutes.

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32165484894643

Wow. It hasn't been a month since the guy was killed in M1.

Who the fuck would ski the mines chutes during an avy warning?:nonono2: :nonono2:

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Originally Posted by homerjay

Who the fuck would ski the mines chutes during an avy warning?:nonono2: :nonono2:

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I'm sure I'll find out tonight at the avi class at The Pub.

Foggy- do you know where "F" gully is?

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Originally Posted by lemon boy

Foggy- do you know where "F" gully is?

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Veru heard of it. Everyone has different names though. I don't see in on Avalanchemapper's map either

Skied the basin yesterday (coverage inbounds is UNBELIEVABLE) and snapped a couple quick pics of the avy from last week. Holy shit, that guy is LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY.

http://www.biglines.com/photos/norma...ines_49141.jpg

http://www.biglines.com/photos/norma...ines_49143.jpg

http://www.biglines.com/photos/norma...ines_49142.jpg

Wow, that slope looks too flat to slide, even at the crown face where it's steepest. Nice shots.

Dug a few pits today on a Northern aspect on Vail pass.

Snowpack in two separate locations about shoulder high (im 6'4)

-Top 6-10 inches somewhat fresh powder/day old blower snow. Sluff.
-About 1.5-2 feet down was where my tests would shear. This new snow, and some consolidated/set-up snow on top was sitting on a layer of sugar snow. The pack sheared everytime at this point. Not an especially hard "pop" out, but same place, same time, everytime.
-Under this sugar was more sugar(depth hoar i believe). After the initial 2 feet popped out this was the hard slap underlying. This would shear almost to the ground, 3 foot deep blocks popped out. In a wide open open, exposed area if this would break loose, it would be fucking scary. But it took alot of force to pop(5-7 for the shoulder,"hard"). This would scare me in open/exposed situations, but in the trees that top 2 feet is what I felt we needed to worry about.

Basically from about 2 feet from the top down, all hoar (sugar).


P.S. I considered myself a Novice in this area, and generally would not feel comfortable making the assessment myself based on a pit. BUT this is what I think I found.

In other words, if you have any advice/knowledge/opinion/criticism on what I've wrote, please share. Learn me.:D

Toby- All of my pictures have the illusion of flatness to them so it's a little decieving. I'd estimate that it is in the middle to upper 30s (don't know for sure). Frequently with smaller slides they stop around the bottom of the first picture but then the larger ones continue down where the pitch steepens up a fair bit. It also gets a fair amount of windloading.

Southern Rockies, raining for two years in a row in December, can't beleive
it myself.

This is a great thread, hopefully I can add to the good karma.

I spent the last three days in the backcountry west of Leadville (Tennessee Pass area). There's plenty of good skiing, but we did find a few disturbing things.

North facing aspects were quite wind scoured and bulletproof in places. NE, E, and SE aspects were holding snow well. There were quite a few slides, including some large slabs down to the ground, above treeline above 12000' mostly on E facing slopes. Southern aspects were wind loaded and we didn't ski any above treeline. We didn't get on, or even really see, any W slopes.

Pits were dug on the slopes we skied, S and E. We found snow conditions similar to what's been reported here. A large amount of depth hoar (2') near the ground and a few weak layers on top. At treeline they sheered at about 3' down when hit from the elbow.

On to the disturbing part. The past three days have been very warm and A LOT of crust formed everywhere. At Copper it's been snowing an inch an hour all night, I imagine many other places nearby have gotten the same. Not so yummy.

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Originally Posted by lemon boy

Skied the basin yesterday (coverage inbounds is UNBELIEVABLE) and snapped a couple quick pics of the avy from last week. Holy shit, that guy is LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY.

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I put your photos together using autostitch to give a little better perspective to the size of the slide.

good job Lurch

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Originally Posted by lemon boy

good job Lurch

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All I did was put the images into the program it did all of the work. It really is an amazing application www.autostitch.net

wow! good find!

From the CAIC daily report(I don't think a full accident report is available yet).

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Yesterday near Cameron Pass in the N mtns an avalanche claimed the lives of two snowmobilers who were completely buried. In all, seven were caught and five people were partly buried. The avalanche was on a NNW facing slope that was 35 degrees in steepness at 10,800 feet. It broke less than 3 feet deep, was some 150 feet wide and ran about 600 feet. This is preliminary information and subject to change. Ethan Greene, CAIC director, visited the site today and we will have more details and updates as they become available.

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some pics:
http://www.powderbuzz.com/images/obs...6/DSC01235.jpg
http://www.powderbuzz.com/images/obs...6/DSC01233.jpg
http://www.powderbuzz.com/images/obs...6/DSC01231.jpg
...
http://www.powderbuzz.com/obs.php

...
some contributions of my own:
I spent the last 3 days skiing in the Berthoud Pass area and did find some very tender areas, although managable conditions overall. New snow from the last few days was consolidating fairly nicely but a wind slab layer sitting on a layer of burried surface hoar still exists especially on eastern facing aspects. Above treeline considerable wind was still present and wind formations and loading was occuring dramatically in the usual spots. We were careful to avoid undercutting windloaded slopes as well as be leery of loaded convexities. Above treeline was viciously windy and in spots apeared to be very dangerously loaded. For the most part these areas are off limits for now. Snow in north north east areas below treeline was primo. Fairly good consolidation and good bottomless feel to it. A few solid ski cuts on this aspect didn't produce any movement although some of the hanging windloaded areas above these shots looked very suspect and were avoided by my partner and I. Lots of people out yesterday for the holiday but we managed to find good fun lines all day.

Bert Pass 01-07-06 quickie

Hasty - SE, ~31 degrees, micro-roll, found wind crust on top, then reasonably consolidated layer followed by distinct sun crust at 30cm, followed by another crust at around 60cm, and one more around ~80cm. Shear tests resulted in pretty high energy layer releases with clean shear surfaces at each crust. Compression tests less conclusive.

Full - ENE, 40+ degrees, wind drift/sub-terrain roll near ~35 degree open slope, wind affected on top but with nicely consolidated/solid layer to perhaps 90cm. Followed by 20cm of refrozen depth hoar, followed by a SCARY 30cm of loose, large grain depth hoar to ground. LOTS of bridging and energy stored in the upper slab...would take a big trigger, but boy...when it goes...yikes. 3 taps from wrist on compression test got a small, fully isolated column to run on sugar just like that, rutch test took more, but popped clean once it went. Chose not to ski open slope.

A good week long freeze-thaw cycle might not be such a bad thing right now.
Recent major wind events clearly evident at and above treeline.

P.S. HHA/Near Floral/80s & 90s were money yesterday AM and today AM, but recent heat has turned much to mank even in places unaffected by wind...

01-08-06 PM

AVALANCHE WATCH
COLORADO AVALANCHE INFORMATION CENTER
RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
319 PM MST SUN JAN 08 2006

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE
COLORADO AVALANCHE INFORMATION CENTER.

...AVALANCHE WATCH BULLETIN FOR THE ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS...

THE COLORADO AVALANCHE INFORMATION CENTER IS ISSUING AN AVALANCHE
WATCH FOR THE ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS, NORTH OF A LINE FROM
KREMMLING TO TOPONAS.

IN THE PAST 24 HOURS ALMOST A FOOT OF SNOW HAS FALLEN.

THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS HIGH ON NORTH TO EAST TO SOUTH ASPECTS AND
CONSIDERABLE ON OTHER ASPECTS. TRIGGERED AVALANCHES BY BACKCOUNTRY
TRAVELERS ARE PROBABLE TO LIKELY ON MOST ASPECTS AND ELEVATIONS.
WITH STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY SNOWS OVERNIGHT THE BACKCOUNTRY
AVALANCHE DANGER WILL RISE.

BACKCOUNTRY TRAVELERS IN THE ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS ARE
URGED TO USE EXTRA CAUTION AND AVOID SLOPES STEEPER THAN 30
DEGREES...AND AVOID TRAVELING UNDER STEEP SLOPES. SIZABLE AVALANCHES
MAY BE TRIGGERED FROM BELOW.

THIS STATEMENT IS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO PERSONS USING THE
BACKCOUNTRY OUTSIDE DEVELOPED SKI AREA BOUNDARIES. WHEN NECESSARY
SKI AREAS USE AVALANCHE CONTROL METHODS WITHIN THEIR BOUNDARIES.

FOR ADDITIONAL AVALANCHE INFORMATION...CALL...970-482-0457 IN FORT
COLLINS...719-520-0020 IN COLORADO SPRINGS...970-668-0600 IN SUMMIT
COUNTY...719-395-4994 IN BUENA VISTA...970-247-8187 IN DURANGO...
303-275-5360 IN DENVER. OR VISIT OUR WEB PAGE AT
WWW.GEOSURVEY.STATE.CO.US/AVALANCHE.

6"-8" new at BP on top of prior report from yesterday/above.
Distinct surface below the new in the 80s, a little punchy.
Better in HHA trees, but SUGAR underneath like a mofo on NW aspect.
If it gets/stays cold and clear, that pack is going to rot like no other, and the next time we get a big dump, something over there will go, North Chute/Mines/etc.
Z and I also noted what looked like a small ski-cut released slab in the obvious start zone at the top of the NE facing hollywood line on the W side. No obvious deposition or tracks, so it may have just sluffed out, but still...

Heads up!

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New snow and strong winds created another layer of slab, especially on the leeward slopes and gullies. These new slabs may be tender and prone to triggered release.

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wow, so this has been pretty much the story for how long now, the last week and a half?

Dawn patrol action on the north side of I-70 near Loveland ski area offered up the following information, in additon to some smooth turns this AM.

Pit dug on east facing lightly treed slope, 33 degree roll over, at approx 11,400 ft. Total depth of pack ~ 170 cm, with ~ 8 cm of new wind affected 1finger hardness snow (creamy, not crusty) siting atop a sizeable ~130 cm slab medium density snow (2 finger) snow , with perhaps one ill defined crust or boundary at middle of layer. Crust at ~ 30 cm, with layer of refrozen depth hoar (depth hoar that didn't flow like sugar unless you distrubed it, i.e. it had some cohesion to it but was obviouisly faceted.) After three whacks from the shoulder the column failed in compression on the 30 cm crust.

Conditions seemed pretty solid, though I would hate to find the spot that would trigger a slide brining down 80% of the depth of the pack in this area. We watched our rollovers and possible thin spots but had a good safe morning.

trelease?

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Originally Posted by lemon boy

trelease?

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Si. Si. Si.

^^^^Bump for updates^^^^

So... what are you seein' out there these days?

Below TL last weekend was bombproof (E Indy pass), I couldn't get a column to go w/o full body weight (& then it took a couple) & a fairly consistent pak - at least the top 5 ft or so.

- above was a different story- good sized E aspect naturals (or w/ some cornice help).

Lots of sun crusts & surface conditions that should make things interesting soon... maybe even today.