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Avy Conditions this Weekend?

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 11:59 am
by carson_h
I'm thinking about Buckskin (NorthEast slope) and Crystal Pk (NorthEast Ridge) this weekend. The CAIC isn't reporting yet, so I don't have much insight into the conditions out there. Does anyone have firsthand data on how much snow was on the ground before this storm, how much new snow we got, how well it bonded, etc. Or is snow pack to thin too care, etc...

Thanks,

-Carson

Re: Avy Conditions this Weekend?

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 12:07 pm
by Dave B
Buckskin Joe snotel shows a mere 3" of snow at ~11.1K from this storm.

Re: Avy Conditions this Weekend?

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 12:18 pm
by randalmartin
Yeah, this was a minor storm and there was very little snow prior to this. I would imagine it's very low risk right now.

Re: Avy Conditions this Weekend?

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 12:39 pm
by ak47
Carson I heard there's alot more snow on Cameron Pass, though little to no base underneath. you should only be concerned about the elevated consequence of any slide or fall, that is hitting rocks and small obstacles which are everywhere. Have fun, AK

Re: Avy Conditions this Weekend?

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 1:51 pm
by carson_h
I've been looking at the snow totals here:

http://avalanche.state.co.us/obs_stns/stns.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I figured that there should minimal issues this weekend; thanks for the confirmation!

I'm not sure what's up with the Cameron Pass station -- it seems to be bouncing between 108" and 20". Even 20" seems like a lot.

http://avalanche.state.co.us/obs_stns/s ... 9+10574+ft" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Avy Conditions this Weekend?

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 1:55 pm
by Carl
Haven't been out since Sunday so I don't have first hand info on this recent storm, but I'd be weary of any cross loaded gullies you might have to cross. Recent wind formed slab could take you where you don't want to go, as ak47 says.

If that is you in your avatar, way to rock Corbets!

Re: Avy Conditions this Weekend?

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 2:31 pm
by shaunster_co
carson_h wrote: I'm not sure what's up with the Cameron Pass station -- it seems to be bouncing between 108" and 20". Even 20" seems like a lot.
I can confirm 20" on Cameron, just had a friend pass over it and he relayed the depth to me. That corresponds with Snotel 1031 - Never Summer showing the same reading. It's pretty bottomless powder though.

Re: Avy Conditions this Weekend?

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:54 am
by taylorzs
Up on Cameron pass yesterday and did a bit of digging. Overall the snow in the area we were skiing was stable but there was a crust and basal faceting below at it the bottom of the snow. Wind had formed thin soft slabs in places but nothing seemed to have much energy when put to testing. We spent most of the day on avalanche terrain and were very comfortable. That will change drastically with the next snow and maybe even by today or the next couple days because of wind and other factors.

Re: Avy Conditions this Weekend?

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 6:49 pm
by jmc5040
We hiked Uncompahgre yesterday and the wind was transporting snow all day into some compact slabs. Many of these areas had anywhere from 0.5 to 1" of hard wind consolidated snow on the surface. These areas could definitely have some risk associated with them depending on what happens between now and the next snowfall.

Re: Avy Conditions this Weekend?

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 6:33 pm
by Snowgirl
A friend and I went up to Butler Gulch, no more than 6 inches in some places and there was definitely cross-loading in the gullies. We made some sacrifices to the rock ski gods but if it meant making some turns in October it was worth it! From what I sampled, 4 inches of lighter snow bonded to a more wet/icy layer at the bottom. It could cause some problems later, but I'm not convinced it's going to be around after the next couple day's worth of warm weather.