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2011 - 2012 Colorado BC Conditions/Stoke Thread

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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
The snow is starting to stack up and the skiing is getting better out there every day. This thread is a place to post up observations, questions, trips reports etc. Post up some stoke!
Nov 10 2011 2:54AM
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jworrell
Posts: 45 - Karma: 32
Has anyone here ever skied around Slumgullian Pass just south of Lake City? Thinking about headed south towards Wolf Creek from here this week (that seems to be where most of the snow is in the state right now) and I'm just hoping for al little beta.
Jan 1 2012 11:27PM
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HarryPotter
Posts: 359 - Karma: 52
Sorry not sure, it was right in front of Winter park resort though.

Also, Just got back from vail pass. The snow was very sugary and definitely a very weak base, my friends' dad set of a 50 yard wide windslab, luckily the slope wasn't steep enough for it to really get momentum. Had a great time anyways and managed to build a couple jumps. Coverage is horrible at the bottom, as the trail to the shrine inn huts was spotty, and is actually pretty decent at above 11000 ft. but really punchy. More snow please!
Jan 2 2012 4:28PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Word, sounds like the west side of Rollins pass (often referred to as Corona Pass), I've heard there is some good terrain over there. Sounds like Vail Pass was scary, glad that slide didn't turn out worse.
Jan 4 2012 11:45PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Spent the last two days exploring around wolf creek pass. At the top of the pass there is a 3 to 4 foot base of generally supportable, stable, and not much faceting. We've had good luck skiing north facing trees where there is creamy recycled pow. Above treeline is definitely wind affected. Significantly less and more faceted snow lower down on the pass.

Lemme know if you make it down to the San Juans, we'll be skiing here through Friday.
Jan 4 2012 11:53PM
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Reed.
Posts: 4489 - Karma: 272
well... summit county BC is pretty much closed. Not enough snow. This winter blows.
Jan 5 2012 11:04PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
We skied Butler Gulch today. About 5 inches new, but it was significantly deeper on east facing aspects where there was some wind loading. Areas that had a windslab underneath or had been previously skied this year were supportable and skied well. Areas that weren't previously compacted were really challenging to ski.

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more on the blog.
Jan 8 2012 11:50PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Last week we spent four days exploring the backcountry around Wolf Creek Pass. In short, that area is incredible!!! I will definitely be going back there this winter. We spent our days skiing north and east facing aspects below treeline, finding a stable and supportable snowpack with lovely, creamy pow on top. On north facing aspects below treeline the snowpack was generally more than four feet deep, with minimal faceting.

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Jan 10 2012 12:22PM
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.nasty
Posts: 10581 - Karma: 11,090
some fun on LL pass yesterday, wanted to get further out but time was limited.

conditions are starting to come together up there, I only one rock and the snowpack is pretty stable (although I didn't have time to dig a pit so I don't know specifics).

dumping out again so I might head back tomorrow! another 5 inches and it should stat skiing great.

Jan 11 2012 11:59AM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Looks like fun out there nyles! We'll have to get out one of these days.

In the CB BC today:
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Still can feel the facets underneath, but its getting more supportable. Observed a recent slide that had started at 11800 feet, about 50 feet wide and slid 200 feet, seemed to be limited to Saturday's storm snow. Also, noticed significant windloading, even below treeline. Limited our skiing to the trees, but noticed no other signs of instability.
Jan 11 2012 9:32PM
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jworrell
Posts: 45 - Karma: 32
Where were you at today? I wish I had half the motivation you do right now. I'm totally jaded on this crappy snowpack. Skiing the resort for a while tomorrow, I have to try and get my $$$'s worth out out that fuckin thing, but if you still in town on Friday night come into the Ginger Cafe after five and I'll buy you a drink (I'm the bartender) for all your hard work so far this year. Way to stay motivated man keep up the good work.
Jan 12 2012 12:30AM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Here is my early season BC edit. Filmed around Crested Butte and Wolf Creek Pass. Hope you enjoy it!


Jan 15 2012 6:41PM
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clive_bixby
Posts: 1834 - Karma: 499
nuked for a solid 6 hours today. i mean it was comin down. happy skiing to all tomorrow
Jan 16 2012 9:48PM
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Reed.
Posts: 4489 - Karma: 272
^^ looking good!

Spent the better part of last week on an Avy 1 hut trip refresher.

Vail pass is mostly a few feet of facets and then some fresh on top. You pretty much just trench through it, almost impossible to stay on the upper layer. Feels like you're on straight skis.

This snow is gonna help a lot though! I'll be inbounds tomorrow and on the sled hopefully the rest of the week!
Jan 16 2012 11:09PM
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jworrell
Posts: 45 - Karma: 32
I like it. Hopefully pokin around CB BC wed and thurs.
Jan 17 2012 1:43AM
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gretzels
Posts: 170 - Karma: 339
Stay safe!!
Remember that all of this new snow is on top of a bunch of junk.
That said, I bet it can be reeeeally sick out there right now! You must report back, I'm curious how it is back there!!!
Jan 18 2012 5:18PM
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Reed.
Posts: 4489 - Karma: 272
Yup. Saw a lot of photos/reports today on the internetz saying hot unstable everything is.

Also, first fatality of the year near Snowmass today....sigh.

If you dont already, read this site every day.
Jan 18 2012 10:03PM
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-PowAir-
Posts: 646 - Karma: 30
lived in cb for 4 years, back visiting this week, easily the worst ive seen it since 06/07 when i  first came to visit. Had a blast sledding up to irwin and back to beckwith today. Kinda scared to leave the trail though i like my a arms. Hope you guys get some snow late in the season. Love it here, and miss it.
Jan 19 2012 1:38AM
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.nasty
Posts: 10581 - Karma: 11,090
ducked a rope into some breck sidecountry today and set of a pretty decent sluff on a short steep pitch. I know everyone knows, but be careful out there, there's some big layers about...
Jan 19 2012 3:32PM
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jworrell
Posts: 45 - Karma: 32
So I road the lifts on Tuesday and was really sketched out by what I what i saw going on inbounds, so I decided against going out on Wednesday. Today I went for a quick nordic ski out Cement Creek. This area did not receive near as much snow in the early season (so I'm hoping for a little less faceting) and looks like it is starting to fill in pretty nicely. Hopefully we will get a good punch of moisture this weekend and I'll be able to check it out some next week. If your wondering what's been going on around here in the BC you can always check http://www.cbavalanchecenter.org/
Jan 20 2012 12:13AM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Yeah all the slides at the ski area are downright scary. I've been on the same page as you when it comes to avoiding the BC around here lately.

We decided to head back down to Wolf Creek Pass the last two days. Honestly, I was super disappointed and surprised by the snow quality. Even in protected north facing trees we found extremely heavy snow. Not only basically unskiable, but the storm snow was upside down: light at the bottom and heavy on top.

Had been hoping to make it out to the summitville zone to check that out, but one of our sleds died, so we just ended up romping around in some meadows. I'm just beginning to get sledding figured out!

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Jan 21 2012 2:27AM
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.nasty
Posts: 10581 - Karma: 11,090
didn't you read the the whole thread about the failed 50 dollar heli drops at silverton?

The snow sucks down south right now.
Jan 21 2012 9:56AM
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bertrenolds
Posts: 142 - Karma: 57
I watched a patroler at breck kick off a pretty big mini slab at the top of beaver chair on saturday on the hill on the right, I would stay out of the backcountry for a while or atleast away from anything steep and uncontrolled.
Jan 22 2012 2:54AM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Headed out to Loveland Pass with Matt yesterday to build a little warm up jump. The winds have been quite strong for the last few days and it took us a long time to find a spot that hadn't been hammered by the winds. Obviously, the snowpack is still very weak out there, I saw a large slide on a slope that I have never seen slide before, and felt large collapses everywhere. The snowpack is generally about 30 to 36 inches deep, with 12 to 18 inches of facets at the ground, then a hard freeze crust followed 18 inches of dense soft slab storm snow. The facets at the ground do appear to be gaining some strength though.

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Jan 26 2012 12:22PM
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jworrell
Posts: 45 - Karma: 32
Hit up the old Pioneer Ski Area on Cement Mountain today. Lots of whoomps on the way up, most tender snowpack I've seen in years. Skiing was quite good, but there is now way I would test anything steeper than 25 degrees right now in that zone. Looks like winter is finally trying to arrive to our mountains, stay safe out there everyone.

Jan 26 2012 8:14PM
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jworrell
Posts: 45 - Karma: 32
Anyone headed to CB this week? Lets hit it up tues, wed, or thurs.
Jan 29 2012 11:58PM
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Ryanvdonk
Posts: 12808 - Karma: 1,945


be careful out there
Jan 30 2012 1:17PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
I've been babysitting my cousin in Denver for the last week, but I'll be back wed and would love to get out Thurs.
Jan 30 2012 9:35PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Thats a crazy video! I think its easy to look back at other people's mistakes and say that we wouldn't have made them.There are definitely decisions that I've made, that I would do differently in retrospect. That being said, this is pretty bad, with LOTS of reasons to call that line off right now: recent significant loading, underlying snow strength, observed avalanches everywhere, consistently shallow snowpack in that area, and the consequences of a slide in that type of terrain to name a few.

But, I'm coming to the conclusion that the airbag pack is becoming a piece of equipment like the beacon: something that does not affect our decision making as far as terrain selection, but is there as another emergency tool if one incorrectly evaluates conditions and a slide occurs.
Jan 30 2012 10:10PM
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Sklar
Posts: 8863 - Karma: 31,577
I might go poke around rmnp this weekend and see how things are looking.
There's a whole zone I want to explore more, but this snowpack kind of sucks, a lot
Jan 30 2012 10:34PM
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Ryanvdonk
Posts: 12808 - Karma: 1,945
keep us updated! been wondering what rocky looks like now.
Jan 30 2012 10:44PM
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jworrell
Posts: 45 - Karma: 32
Cool let me know man. Probably still gonna stick to mellow stuff around CB South, but you are more than welcome to come check it out with me.


Jan 31 2012 12:06AM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
We were completely missed by Friday's storm down here in CB. Too scared of the stability to ski anything, but on Friday we headed up to Kebler for some exploration on the sleds and found some fun meadows and incredible views.

Sledded up to the huge skier-triggered slide on Ruby Ridge, got there, got scared and immediately turned around. Its actually bigger than it looks in the video, I couldn't believe how far the debris flowed past the steep pitches as well. Heres the video of the kids triggering the slide:

Ruby Bites Back from Irwin Media House on Vimeo.

Lower on Ruby Ridge:
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Afley:
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Nick:
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Nick below Owen:
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Feb 5 2012 10:05AM
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jworrell
Posts: 45 - Karma: 32
Yeah that slide was nuts, one of those cats is actually a buddy of mine who has lived out in the Irwin Area for years, it totally scared him. I love that pic of Afley by the way, that has been on my must ski list for quite some time. The snowpack seems to finally be adjusting a bit around here so I might try to get something good done this coming week.
Feb 5 2012 6:42PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
I can't even imagine how terrifying that must have been. Definitely looks like things are starting to settle down, went up washington gulch today. The number of slides up there is crazy. Built a fun little jump in the afternoon after a fair amount of searching for a good spot.

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Next bluebird day I'm gonna head back out for some more pow jumping!
Feb 8 2012 1:43AM
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Sklar
Posts: 8863 - Karma: 31,577
Shredded some mad lines at mount sanitas in boulder this weekend! Haha

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Feb 8 2012 9:51AM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Haha, this is fucking awesome! You been up to RMNP lately? I wonder how its filling in.
Feb 8 2012 5:36PM
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Sklar
Posts: 8863 - Karma: 31,577
fun day, hha! i've been pretty busy with skicross lately, but i wonder how much they got out of this last round of snow
Feb 8 2012 5:43PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Went up Washington Gulch for the second day in a row today. Skied Coney's, which was a first to me. Some fun terrain up there, nothing steep or gnar, but 1000' vert of boot deep pow. Evidence of avalanches everywhere, most of which I assume slid immediately after our last storm a week and a half or two weeks ago. Observed no signs of instability while we were up there though, looks like the snowpack is beginning to equilibrate.

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Feb 8 2012 11:41PM
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jworrell
Posts: 45 - Karma: 32
Skied boot deep pow in North Facing Trees on Cement Mountain with pitches into the mid 30 degree range. Had a few small pockets rip out, but nothing that was too rough as long as you were paying attention. Lots of signs of large naturals all over the main north bowl, but overall I feel a "scary moderate" is a fair rating of the avy conditions in the Cement Creeks zone just south of CB. This was for sure the best tour of the year so far for me in this zone, its just too bad its Feb 8th already. Come on pow gods lets see what you got!!!!!!
Feb 9 2012 2:17AM
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Che~
Posts: 2108 - Karma: 296
Set off a pretty big slide on red mountain pass yesterday. Scared the shit out of me and my friend. There was a pretty big faceted layer, but t seemed stable for the slope we were skiing. Then we moved into the trees, and the slope got very steep, right around that 38* sweet spot. My friend broke off a slab about 50 feet wide, 2-3 feet deep, and it ran for about 1000 feet, 500 vert, through pretty thick trees. Thank god nobody got caught in it.

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Feb 12 2012 11:59PM
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omckee
Posts: 938 - Karma: 1,128
^thats some scary business right there. Anyone been to RMNP in that last few weeks? been wondering how those zones have been filling in
Feb 14 2012 12:55PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Went up to Kebler Pass on Friday. I've been pretty freaked out by the snowpack, so we skied one lap in the Anthracites, then spent the rest of the day sledding around.

Yours truly in 7th bowl:
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Big slides everywhere, took this picture of Owen from the debris from the slide:
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Feb 20 2012 12:15AM
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Dntel.
Posts: 1026 - Karma: 21
Anybody have any beta on RMNP right now?
Feb 21 2012 7:23PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Skied Snodgrass Mountain outside of CB today. Haven't skied there in years, and it was fun to ski somewhere relatively new. The snow on all south through east aspects has been HEAVILY affected by the recent warm, sunny weather. However, we found very heavy, but fun and creamy pow in the protected NE facing trees where we skied. The snowpack on Snodgrass is definitely significantly thinner than in the western parts of the zone, and I even broke through to the old basal facets at one point. We observed no signs of instability, but found crossloading well into the trees. Also, we did get a little dust last night, but it could be way worse, and I don't think its enough to have a significant affect on our snowpack by itself.

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Mar 7 2012 5:06PM
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jworrell
Posts: 45 - Karma: 32
Nice. I couldn't motivate today, it was my first day off in weeks so I shredded the couch pretty hard. Gonna hit something up Cement Creek tomorrow unless it snows a lot, then ski up the resort (gotta get those prepaid days in).
Mar 7 2012 6:52PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
----Newschoolers----
Interested to hear how Cement Creek went. Funny about the inbounds days, checked my day count on my CB pass at the end of January and had only 9 days, I've also been making an effort to ski inbounds more lately, the snow has definitely helped with that.

Skied Red Lady Bowl yesterday, it was downright awesome. Great views, great skin, great snow. Observed no signs of current instability, but signs of last week's avalanche cycle were everywhere.

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Mar 9 2012 5:11PM
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BravoWhiskey5280
Posts: 4020 - Karma: 520
Dude TR are awesome. You make me jealous though. I fucking live in this beautiful state yet don't get out there like you do. I need to start scoping out the BC. Definitely need to take some avy courses before though. A bunch of the kids I ride with think they can just go straight into the BC without any avy knowledge. I tell them thats fucking stupid, but they just shake their head at me. I REALLY wanna get out there though. Oh well I guess theres always next year.
Mar 10 2012 6:14PM
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
Glad you liked it man. Good call on waiting to gain some knowledge and equipment before jumping out into the BC. If you are interested, may is an awesome time to get your feet wet in the Colorado backcountry. The key is to get out early before the snow is overly soft and wetslides begin. Two good indicators of too warm of snow are 1) If you can wring water out of a snowball in your hands. Your penetrate above the top of your boots while standing in the snow. Also watch out for warm rocks and cornices which are prone to triggering avalanches in spring.

I would highly recommend checking out Mount Evans if you have a chance. Lots of easy car lappable terrain. Here's a TR from last June.

Rollins Pass is also super fun in July and August. Check out this TR or this one.
Mar 14 2012 12:33AM
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Sklar
Posts: 8863 - Karma: 31,577
This thread= spaeknotes for mine's blog
Everyone else, me included, needs to step up their game
Mar 14 2012 12:42AM
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Reed.
Posts: 4489 - Karma: 272
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Been scoping this zone in summit county for a year or so and got to it the day before this damned warm spell. Got a few more spots in mind if any more snow comes our way.
Mar 14 2012 12:47PM
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