January 23, 2016

    An avalanche near Crested Butte claims snowmobiler, story in article section.      Denver Post Pic

    From 2 days ago, intel from Yves Wenger.                                                                      Yves Image

Hey Wango, Yeah this was on the North X Northwest side of the Tricouni / Cypres / Fee divide..... I don't an exact location or name for that ridge but roughly North east of High falls on the Squamish / Elaho valley side..... No one were at risk, we were scouting for some new riding terrain when we saw this entire ride coming down without human trigger..... I use the tele lens to take the pics from the adjacent safe ridge as I was uncomfortable to go down the trapped gully given what just happened..... we turn around and went in the relative safety of the trees at about 4500 feet for our riding..... This was North / Northwest aspect, loads of wind load from behind that ridge creating your A-typical Convex roll "perfect storm" situation..... Take Care and thanks for your blog efforts which I follow vicariously !

Can you imagine this slope without failing with a load on it!!

    08:30 Hours Friday January 22, 2016. Moist and warm in the valley.

    Still some sitting water on the roads.

    Glad they kept the alpine closed, nice to leave it settle.

    Natural activity in the Baggers from Thursday night. Blackcomb Mountain

    Snow was glommed on.

    Xe produced a size 2.5 on the head wall yesterday morning.

    Xl(avalauncher) got some very wet results out of Franz's Roll yesterday morning.

    Snowing at 1855 meters yesterday afternoon.

    Unsettled by 14:00 Hours, sun, cloud and power flurries.

    Warmish and moist in the valley yesterday afternoon.




Weather Observations for January 23, 2016: taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters    -6, Winds were 15-25 KPH E   --Horstman Hut Station
2180 meters    -5, Winds were 5-10 KPH E     --Whistler Peak
1860 meters    -5, Winds were 0-5 KPH W      --Rendevous
1835 meters    -4, Winds were 5-10 KPH S     --Roundhouse
1650 meters    -3, 0 cm of new snow, 8 cm in 24 hrs, 204 cm Base, RH 98%  --Pig Alley
1550 meters    -3, 1 cm of new snow, 13 cm in 24 hrs, 180 cm Base        --Catskinner 

  660 meters     0, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +3.9. 19.5 mm of Precip recorded

    As of 08:00 Hours we have overcast skies and unlimited visibility.

Limited avalanche control on WB yesterday produced size 1.5-2.5 Xe and Xl.

For the forecast, overcast this morning as an upper level low to our South spins some cloud our way in a Southerly flow aloft. By the afternoon we should see unsettled conditions as a weak upper ridge begins to have some influence in our zone. Freezing levels will hover around 1200 meters this afternoon dropping back down to around 800 meters this evening. Sunday will also be unsettled with slightly cooler temperatures and the FL hovering around 1000 meters. The ridge strengthens for Monday with more sun than cloud but the FL will rise as the day progresses to as high as 1500 meters. As of now Tuesday has a warm front move onto the coast with light precipitation.

    Overcast this morning becoming unsettled ass the day progresses.

    Unsettled again Sunday.

    Clear on Monday.

   Warm front on Tuesday.



ARTICLES:

Seasons First Avalanche death in Colorado: Kevlar Pass---CBAC Avalanche Summary

Why do skiers overlook the danger in Avalanche Terrain: BeyondTheEdge

Weak Snow pack promotes weekend avalanche warning: North Shore Rescue

Skier killed in avalanche had a "Passion for chasing snow": Mill Creek Canyon, Utah

Ski & Board in the Backcountry alone? Don't be an Idiot!!: SnowBest

Multiple Avalanches close Highway 40: Lillooet News

    Early yesterday morning.

    Avalanche Awareness Guides needed, apply through WB: Avalanche Awareness Volunteers

    Pygmy Owl, Whistler Mountain.  Northern Pygmy Owl

    Not a big crowd yesterday.

   As the cold front was passing yesterday morning. 40-80 Kph at around 11:30 Hours.

    Horstman Creek yesterday morning.

    Power Flurry on Whistler yesterday afternoon. Up to a 70 KPH gust at 15:00 Hours.

    Different angle on Blackcomb Bowl.

    Na (Natural Activity) in Lakeside Bowl.

    Good day to explore.

January 22, 2016

    An avalanche in Bulgaria has killed 2 tourists, story below.                                                 Net Pic

    An Avalanche in Utah has killed a backcountry skier, story in article section below. Byates Photo

    Early Thursday morning, January 21, 2016. Snowing 2 cm per hour.

    Shut out of the alpine yesterday, strong winds and rapid loading.

    Most people were skiing JC early in the morning.

    Snowing in the valley at 10:45. 0 degrees in the valley, -0.5 at 1550 M, and -1.5 at 2240 M.

    Good skiing on the lower mountain yesterday afternoon.

    Even at 13:30 still snowing in valley , at 1550M 29 cm was recorded from 06:00 hrs to 14:00 Hrs.

    Raining below 1550 meters at days end.


Weather Observations for January 22, 2016: taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters    -1, Winds were 35-55 KPH SSE  --Horstman Hut Station
2180 meters    -2, Winds were 45-55 KPH SSE  --Whistler Peak
1860 meters    -1, Winds were No Data               --Rendevous
1835 meters     0, Winds were 20-35 KPH ESE   --Roundhouse
1650 meters   +1, Trace of new snow, 13 cm in 24 hrs, 205 cm Base, RH 100%  --Pig Alley
1550 meters     0, 3 cm of new snow, 32 cm in 24 hrs, 178 cm Base        --Catskinner 

  660 meters     0, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +0.5. 36 mm of Precip recorded

Avalanche control was limited yesterday but some soft slabs were observed-Sc Na, Sz 1.

    As of 07:00 Hours this am at 1835 meters we have obscured skies, limited visibility and it is snowing.

For the forecast, a trailing weak cold front is following the slow moving warm front. A weak upper level short wave trough will push the cold front East later this morning, with unsettled conditions this afternoon. The freezing level will begin to slowly drop this morning, reaching 1000 meters by tonight.  An approaching weak upper level ridge will bring  unsettled conditions Saturday afternoon. The FL on Saturday will range from 800 meters to 1000 meters. Cool unsettled conditions for the weekend, a mix of sun, cloud, and the occasional isolated flurry. Guesstimates 5-10 cm above 1600 meters by Saturday morning.

    Cooler temperatures and light snow for Friday morning above 1600 meters.

    Looks like Saturday may be unsettled with some sunny breaks.



VIDEO FRIDAY:

Slow moving avalanche, like a lava flow: Switzerland

A fast dry avalanche: Switzerland

Beyond the pow--Avalanche control: Chatter Creek

In bounds avalanche at Sugarbowl: California

Avalanche under Gondola in Meribel: France



ARTICLES:

Avalanche in Bulgaria's Vitosha Mountain kills two people: Europe

One dead after avalanche at Millcreek Canyon: Utah

Tahoe Area Ski Resort seeks prosecution against man who triggered avalanche: Sugar Bowl

NASA, NOAA analyses reveal record shattering Global Warm Temperatures in 2015: Science Daily

Avalanche Danger closes Snoqualmie Pass: Fox News

Warmer Oceans could produce more powerful Super Storms: Science Daily

    Image from Noon yesterday.

    Big picture yesterday afternoon.

    Big Snow-Big Snowman. We had 29 cm at 1550 meters and only 13 cm at 1650 yesterday. 14:00.

    Some great turns up to about 15:00 hours when the snow quality deteriorated.

    Some snow balling in Cougar Chutes yesterday afternoon.

    Roof avalanche yesterday.

January 21, 2016

    Series of three photos and observations from Steve Whittall, taken yesterday.

Just witnessed some surprising results on the 160104 surface hoar layer on Cloudburst Mountain today. 3 x Sz2 Hr occurring at 1300 today, January 20, 2016. Tracks were visible in the bed surface suggesting the Jan 04 layer (based on our skiing history).

Aspect: North
Elevation: 5200ft
Avg crown: 1m depth
Avg width: 40m
Slope: 20-40 degrees. Avg slope 35 degrees

On our fifth ski run of the day, after observing no significant natural avalanche activity throughout the Cypress, Tricouni, Mt Cayley flying area.

                                                                                                                                Steve Whittall Photo

                                                                                                                               Steve Whittall Photo
Of note, the avalanches propagated into 20 degree terrain, with cracks radiating 20 metres further into even flatter terrain. Within the exact same half hour time window, a N-facing ridge, 5800', in the adjacent Seagrams Lake area ran naturally (several x 1-1.5Na), noted on our next lift.

    Another shot from yesterday near Seagrams Lake.                                    Jordan Crockett Photo

    Early Wednesday morning, January 20, 2016.

    Sun came out in the morning but for the most part it was overcast.

    There was some good visibility in the morning.

    Even some Blue Sky.

    Whistler Mountain yesterday morning.

    By the afternoon it was overcast. Looking Southwest.

    Looking Northwest, around 16:00 Hours.


Weather Observations for January 21, 2016: taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters    -3, Winds were 50-75 KPH SSE   --Horstman Hut Station
2180 meters    -4, Winds were 45-60 KPH SSE   --Whistler Peak
1860 meters    -2, Winds were 20-40 KPH ESE   --Rendevous
1835 meters    -1, Winds were 20-45 KPH ESE   --Roundhouse
1650 meters     0, 11 cm of new snow, 11 cm in 24 hrs, 208 cm Base, RH 100%  --Pig Alley
1550 meters    -2, 10 cm of new snow, 10 cm in 24 hrs, 164 cm Base        --Catskinner 

  660 meters     0, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +1.3. 0 mm of Precip recorded

    As of 07:00 Hours this am we have obscured skies, limited visibility and it is snowing +3 cm/hr.


For the forecast, the warm front over us this morning will continue with strong winds and heavy precipitation in a Southerly Flow. Triple W Day, WET, WARM, & WINDY!! The freezing level is still expected to reach 2200 meters, we may get lucky and 1800 meters would be very acceptable.  A cold front is still forecasted to arrive early Friday with the freezing level beginning around 1800 meters descending back to around 1000 meters by the evening. A weak upper trough will move through on Saturday for unsettled weather. A weak upper ridge is scheduled to push into the area for Sunday. Guesstimates: 30-40 cm for Friday morning above 1700 meters,  if the storm stays on track we could get 40-50 cm. 10-15 cm for Saturday morning.

    Image from this morning, warm front for today.

    That is a sweet looking front, we might get lucky with the FL as well.

    Warm front with heavy precipitation.

    Very early Thursday Morning.

    Cold front with light precipitation for Friday.



ARTICLES:

Avalanche Risk "Extreme" on BC South Coast: CBC News

Skier Killed in Montana Avalanche: Cedar Basin, Montana

Cedar Basin Avalanche Fatality-Jan 19, 2016: GNFAC Investigation

Pro Skier JT Holmes survives avalanche burial: TetonGravity

An update on Patroller buried in an avalanche on Powder Mountain: GrindTV

Avalanche Resuscitation Guideline: Winter CPR

France to probe risks taken by soldiers in deadly avalanche: Madone, France

Controlled avalanche kicks off "Jasper in January": Alberta

    Unsettled in the morning, we even had some sunny periods.

    Overcast by the afternoon as the pre frontal cloud moved onto the coast.

    Low sucking moisture from Maui. It was raining there and 23 Deg yesterday.

    Avalanche practise in Patroller's Trees.

               Very snowy in the valley.

    Tower 3 on the Blackcomb Side is the tallest of the 4.

    A different perspective of the Peak to Peak.

    Tower 4 on the Blackcomb Side.

    Still some good turns to be had on Lower Disease Ridge, yesterday afternoon.