January 24
Area:
Butler Fork BCC
Location:
East branch of Butler including Butler Basin, the nipple and Reynolds Peak.
Elevations, slope angles and aspects:
7000’-9200, angles to 40°, all aspects
Avalanche activity:
Two wet point release slides. One on east south east facing around 11 am, spread a bit and ran perhaps fifty feet.
The other on a west facing aspect of the Reynolds massif around 3:30 pm initiated with a ski cut spread wider and ran several hundred vertical into the Butler gully. That one was around 20’ wide and did pack a punch, debris pile a coupla feet deep.
Slopes skied:
East facing off the southern ridge in upper Butler Basin, ne facing nipple in Butler and west Reynolds ridge continuing down the west facing in Butler Fork.
Snow surface and conditions:
Much of the mid and lower elevations had a fresh coating of surface hoar.
The ridges still retain both wind drifting and scouring with faceted snow the rule. It got warm enough to make the snow sticky and damp on both the sunny aspects and at mid and lower elevations. There is some recrystalized powder remaining om wind and sun sheltered aspects but warming may eliminate much of this at mid elevations.
Weather:
Sunny, with mild temperatures. A slight east breeze at times near the ridges.
Snow pit:
Evaluation:
Snow is stable. It continues to provide support held together by the November layering and crusts. Rapid warming initiated wet activity before noon today. That is likely to continue with forecasted temperatures, although the first warming probably produced the most activity. The off of and out from under with heating rules would apply.
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