Colorado Weather Discussion Thread

[SKIP IN7RO]

It was damn cold today.

[Foggy_Goggles]

I dug a 2m pit today, and didn't hit ground until 260cm. All but the top 20cm was finger hardness or more. Granted, I don't dig a lot of pits, but that's never happened before. What a strange season. Wind transport is crazy.

Where? Up on the divide, the weather stations recorded gusts 85+.

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[Name Redacted]

I dug a 2m pit today, and didn't hit ground until 260cm. All but the top 20cm was finger hardness or more. Granted, I don't dig a lot of pits, but that's never happened before. What a strange season. Wind transport is crazy.

Was it on a golf course in Kansas?

[North]

Where? Up on the divide, the weather stations recorded gusts 85+.

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Was it on a golf course in Kansas?

Due North aspect ~10,500ft in RMNP (Banana Bowls area). Apparently, that's where all of the blowing snow in the the state of CO collects.
Based on all the scrub poking through I would've guessed <100cm. But I measured multiple spots on the E facing rib most people skin up, before digging the pit lower down, and nearly buried the probe every time.

Side note: Digging 2m worth of finger/pencil/knife was fucking tiring, and took forever. I've heard it said, I've said it, but don't think I've ever come close to experiencing what digging real avi debris would be like. This seemed close, and was a good reminder.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Banana Bowls

That spot gets hammered.

[WTF is dat]

That spot gets hammered.

Yeah was just gonna say that spot gets a ton of windloading.

I was up near there a few summers ago in late August and there was still huge snowdrifts from the winter well below 11,000 feet

[mt_wilson]

Yeah was just gonna say that spot gets a ton of windloading.

I was up near there a few summers ago in late August and there was still huge snowdrifts from the winter well below 11,000 feet

Leeward slope. One of the windiest places in the world...


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[goldenboy]

Glad everyone else has decent conditions, I guess, but today fucking sucked. Dust on crust, cold, windy, flat light. Doesn't get much worse. It just isn't Crested Butte's year in any way shape or form.

[goldenboy]

Also, close call yesterday: http://cbavalanchecenter.org/accident-on-schuylkill/

[Name Redacted]

Also, close call yesterday: http://cbavalanchecenter.org/accident-on-schuylkill/

People just need to wait till spring this year. Snowpack everywhere seems "F'ed in the A".

[Kinnikinnick]

I dug a 2m pit today, and didn't hit ground until 260cm. All but the top 20cm was finger hardness or more. Granted, I don't dig a lot of pits, but that's never happened before. What a strange season. Wind transport is crazy.

This is one reason pits are of dubious value - especially single pits - I bet 300’ away there was 50cm with 1/2 of it depth hoar.

Digging a pit in the one huge wind drift won’t tell you anything other than what’s happening in that one wind drift.


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[North]

This is one reason pits are of dubious value - especially single pits - I bet 300’ away there was 50cm with 1/2 of it depth hoar.
TGR Forums

I generally agree, and spatial variability is one of a few reasons I don't dig often. If I dig more than a hand pit, it happens at the end of the day after the skiing is done. This allows me to get some global snowpack info on a zone, and remove pit interpretation from that day's decision-making process completely.

Digging a pit in the one huge wind drift won’t tell you anything other than what’s happening in that one wind drift.
TGR Forums

In this case, the entire zone is the "one huge wind drift" and given that multiple probe locations on differing elevations and aspects produced notably similar data, I think it's reasonable to extrapolate some basic but useful assumptions. Far from "won't tell you anything" IMO.

#weather

[Kinnikinnick]

I generally agree, and spatial variability is one of a few reasons I don't dig often. If I dig more than a hand pit, it happens at the end of the day after the skiing is done. This allows me to get some global snowpack info on a zone, and remove pit interpretation from that day's decision-making process completely.



In this case, the entire zone is the "one huge wind drift" and given that multiple probe locations on differing elevations and aspects produced notably similar data, I think it's reasonable to extrapolate some basic but useful assumptions. Far from "won't tell you anything" IMO.

#weather

Uh. Sort of. There are the couple big open drifts then a few pockets in the trees. Some of it is low angle and then there are some smaller steeper pockets.

Pit data can’t hurt unless you start extrapolating it broadly when it’s only limited in reference - ie start think it’s all 2m deep and solid underneath.


But I wouldn’t know 1st hand this year as I am on injured reserve.



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[kailas]

Go to the ski area, backcountry is gay

[Foggy_Goggles]

Go to the ski area, backcountry is gay

Pretty much

[summit]

260cm pit... were you bored? Cold?

[North]

260cm pit... were you bored? Cold?

I dug a 2m pit today

Buddy of mine just took his L2 so he's all hyped on snow science, and we were too worked to ski more laps, so I humored his request. Glad I did - I thought it was pretty interesting data.

[simple]

Snowing in Denver. Lol

[Danno]

It was pounding for a while. Just got on the bus, driver said he was running thirty minutes behind and it was the worst he'd ever seen it.

[SkiBall]

I know we haven't had that much snow, but usually by this time they are kind of in stride. How much did D get?

[alect47]

I know we haven't had that much snow, but usually by this time they are kind of in stride. How much did D get?

About an inch at my house on the west side of Denver, hahaha

[The SnowShow]

The overwhelmed freeways in Denver are becoming useless on a normal day. Add an inch and we’re like Atl.

[simple]

2 inches in an hour in Lakewood right as rush hour was kicking in. Denver rush hour lasts longer than an hour.

[smmokan]

Weird, not a single flake in Niwot.

[fastfred]

everyone thinks that just because you live in colorado you know how to drive in snow