Irwin report

[MtnDoo]

IRWIN, CO - Snow Reports

Colorado Snowest'ers..

I'll try providing some updates for the Irwin/Crested Butte Area this year.
It'll be a mix of observations and CB Avalanche Center weather updates.

Also - do consider joining the Gunnison County SnoTrackers if you come to town; it's cheap and helps with grooming and keeping riding areas open to motorized use!

www.snotrackers.com

Always ride prepared - training, beacon/probe/shovel, more training.

Hope you find the snow reports useful!



MtnDoo


************




CB Avalanche Center Report: http://cbavalanchecenter.org/


11/5/08

21" light, dry, fresh at 10,150', possibly more above.
Lots of rocks/willows exposed.
On Trail Riding only on snowpacked roads past the "Y".

It was fun to get back out on a sled a bit today.

MtnDoo.

 

[deadcat]

Update?

Any new snow? Too busy riding?

 

[MtnDoo]

We got about 6" mid-last week, but sun/warmth has beaten it down.
You can ride around on the roads - but they're packed/icy.
Still too thin to go off trail without causing damage to your sled or the landscape.

Sunshine, and cool air is fore casted for the next few days.

 

[Bauer]

How's it lookin now?

 

[MtnDoo]

Storm was a dud.
5" max snowfall.

Still all road riding, off road is death for your A-arms.

MD.



********CB Ave Center - Weather Report**********

Tonight:
Cloudy with a chance for more snow showers. Winds 5-15 mph from the North and lows in the teens valley wide.

Tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy with some clearing in Gunnison and a chance for light snow showers. Northwest winds 10-20 mph and highs in the 20's in CB and near 30 in Gunnison.

 

[MtnDoo]

New Storm - Turkey Day till Dec 1st.

Excerpts from CB Avalanche Center:



Kebler Pass Area, Various at 10,500

Around Irwin townsite/area. Significant snowfall!!! Significant wind transport!! In places waste to chest deep. Challenging visibility, and occasional whiteout conditions. Winds generally N with gusts
20-30+ around tree line. Experienced whoompfing, and collapsing
propagating roughly 50' or so in the upper townsite.

Poz




Tomorrow: (Dec 2nd)
Becoming cloudy, 1-3" possible early evening, winds light with moderate gusts form the northwest, highs around 40.




Kebler Area, N at 10,500

Moderate to high winds, lot of snow transport. Moderate temps. 12+" new snow. 2.5 foot depth snow depth. Very reactive and punchy. Shooting cracks, large settlements on all aspects traveled. 12" of dense wind affected snow, hollow underneath. Skied trees left of friendly finish. Skied less than 30 degrees, no slabs but one is forming well. Cracks propagating far. Poor traveling conditions, kept sinking to bottom.

Mike Nolan
Kebler Pass Area, NNE at 10,500

Natural avalanche activity, 2' crown, all new snow in past 48 hours failing on 4" facet layer, running full track, low quality shear, 30 degree average slope angle.

LMP

 

[BOHICA]

I'm always amazed at how Irwin seems to have its own natural snow making machine. Nice.

 

[SSWIM]

Maybe next weekends destination. IRWIN!!!!!!! The only downside is it does not look like anything\snow coming in this week.

Sam

 

[MtnDoo]

Dec 4

Measured 4 feet 3 inches of base at Irwin Townsite today in the woods. Less snow on the trails and in open valleys, but it snowed all day.

Snow has a hard layer about 2' down from surface supported by about 6" of TG sugar snow and a few more layers below. Just walking around I could hear the whuumpf of the hard layer failing - even on relatively flat ground. Shovel shear tests was amazing - I counted 9 active/releasable layers (hard & sugar side by side).

BE CAREFUL!!

MtnDoo

 

[snowdrew00]

Nice thanks for the update, Doo a snow dance for me I will be up next weekend, hopefully keeps coming. Lots of land mines up there. Your new place looks great and nice spot!

 

[corpeleven]

Do you know if there's enough snow to ride up from the Ericson Springs/Paonia side at this point?

If not, we'll be heading to Grand Mesa via Bonham.

 

[MtnDoo]

I don't know how far up from Erriccsson Springs the road is covered.
We groomed over the pass almost down to Horse Thief park last night, and it was down to about 2' depth there. ES is about another 30mi west. But I suspect there is snow. SnoTrackers just did a deal with those guys, so the club will be grooming out to ES once per week it sounds like.

Another 3-4" fell last night from the Y up.

MtnDoo.

 

[MtnDoo]

Reported Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 6:35 AM


Weather Forecast

Today:
Clear, light northwest winds and a high of 20 in Gunnison and in the 30's in Crested Butte

Tonight:
Clear, light winds and temperatures in the single digits.

Tomorrow:
Clear becoming mostly cloudy, trace to 2 possible late in the day, moderate west winds and highs around 30.




Weather Synopsis

Change is coming. We are seeing the calm before the storm. It looks like today will be sunny and warmer especially out of the valley floor. Watch for a little ripple of weather to move in on Friday. But more importantly, a favorable flow will move in Saturday bringing snow, strong winds and cold temperatures. This is a recipe for significant snowfall. All the models are looking good right now for our area to see winter pounding its way in over the weekend. We can expect to see unsettled weather through next week.

 

[MtnDoo]

From www.9news.com

A WINTER STORM WATCH has been posted for all mountain areas above 9,000 feet west of Vail Pass through Sunday evening. Aspen, Snowmass, Vail, Crested Butte, Ouray, Telluride, Lake City, Silverton, and surrounding areas could see more than a foot of snow. Irwin Area should expect 3-4 feet, followed by cold air and sunshine.




...ok, wishful thinking there at the end.

 

[dejadoo]

MtnDoo, quit hogging all the snow in Irwin and send a little on to Pitkin.
I am heading there next week and there is barely enough to ride the roads.

dan

 

[MtnDoo]

12/12/08

Ha! Well, we got all of 4" by 6:00PM today (Friday). LOL.
But it was starting to come down pretty good by sundown.

I'm hoping this storm will finally put the stumps and rocks far enough below we don't have to worry for a good while.

In the woods and North Facing aspects it is deep - 4-5' of fluff base, but it is starting to set up and bond.

South facing exposures and valley floors are a bit thinner w/ some exposed willows/stumps/rocks/etc.. Lots of sugar beneath, so be careful if you climb anything. If it looks like a stump under there - IT IS!

MD.

Dan - It seems like I ran into Pitkin people all summer! LOL. PM me when you get into town. Riding or dinner - your choice.

 

[MtnDoo]

12/13/08 Ave Report - CB

Watch for the Avalanche Danger to rise today and tonight with the probability of an Avalanche Warning by tommorrow morning. With 6.5 inches of snow (.5" of water) last night with some gusting winds our snowpack has received the first new load. Overall we have a weak snowpack with early season facets on the ground in most locations and a variety of crusts on solar aspects. Since the Thanksgiving storm we have had continued reports of wumpfing or a collapsing snowpack. A triggered avalanche two days ago with a 2-3 foot crown prove the snowpack is weak and unstable. The current structure of the snowpack will not hold much additional load before we see widespread failure. By mid day today new accumulations will cause the avalanche danger to rise. Triggered avalanches today will be possible to probable. By tomorrow with big snow in the forecast we will most likely be issuing an avalanche warning as Natural and triggered avalanches will be likely and we will see a widespread avalanche cycle.


Weather Forecast
Today:
Cloudy with Snow 3-5", southwest winds 10-20 mph with gusts reaching 40 mph. high temperatures today in CB and Gunnison in the low 30's.

Tonight:
Heavy Snow 12-14", west southwest winds 10-20 mph with gusts reaching 30 mph. Low temperatures in CB and Gunnison in the mid teens.

Tomorrow:
Snow 4-6" west winds 5-15mph with high temperatures in CB and Gunnison around 20.

 

[MtnDoo]

Family Guy - Irwin Report

Tom Tucker: And now time for Ollie Williams with the Black-U-Weather Forecast from Lake Irwin, Colorado. Ollie?
Ollie: Its a Dumping!
Tom Tucker: Thanks, Ollie.





MtnDoo.


PS - For the un-annointed, here's more on Ollie Williams

 

[MtnDoo]

12/14/08 - from CB Avalanche Center

Continued western trough will keep Colorado in an unsettled weather pattern for much of this week. The cold front passed this early this morning leaving the Elk Mountains between 1-2 feet of snow so far. We are currently under a NW flow and should see continued light snow today in town with higher amounts in the Irwin and paradise Divide Areas. Snow should tapper off tonight with a dry slot for Monday morning. The flow dips back to the SW as a couple more impulses of snow should push through with Snow starting Monday afternoon through Wednesday and will favor the Southern mountains.

We are Issueing an Avalanche Warning Today! The Avalanche Danger is High as Natural and Triggered avalanches are LIKELY! Storm totals: 12 inches in town with 1 inch of water. Schofield Pass, around 27 inches of snow. As well moderate winds and strong gusts have moved a lot of snow adding to the storm totals. Our early season weak snowpack has received a huge load and the stress has exceeded the strength. Our basal layers were mostly compromised of facets as well as some crusts. Before this storm we saw consistenet signs of weakness and failures in the forms of collapsing, cracking, and some avalanches. We will experience widespread failure in the backcountry.

 

[MtnDoo]

12/15/08

-17 deg this morning



Weather Forecast: from CB Ave Center

Today:
Increasing clouds with snow this afternoon 2-4" expected. Increasing winds from the Southwest 10-20 mph and highs near 20 in CB and Gunnison.

Tonight:
Snow, an additional 4-6" with Southwest winds 10-20 mph gusting to 30 mph and lows near 10 valley wide.

Tomorrow:
More snow, another 3-5" possible. Winds will back off a bit to 5-15 mph from the Southwest and highs will reach to the mid 20's.

....just multiply that by 3x for the back country!