Comments on: They Survived the Big Avalanches – Guest Report http://www.wildsnow.com/1557/braun-huts-avalanches/ Backcountry Skiing Weblog Blog, FAQs, more, links and info about randonnee, telemark and backcountry ski mountaineering. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:43:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Chris Buckley http://www.wildsnow.com/1557/braun-huts-avalanches/comment-page-1/#comment-26061 Chris Buckley Mon, 10 May 2010 16:06:53 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=1557#comment-26061 Second Trip Update - Most of our partners bailed but Chris Wilson and I finally put this trip together in early May. It was the perfect hut trip: mix from a snowy start to great weather and skiing conditions. The snow up high was firm and stable in the a.m. We did hear lots of cracking below treeline in the afternoons. The decriptions of Pearl Basin are true - it reminded me of the Classic Haute Route from Chamonix! Get up there if you can but be patient...make sure you have the BC experience and wait for spring or a window of stable snow and good weather. This adventure is Colorado at its best... Second Trip Update – Most of our partners bailed but Chris Wilson and I finally put this trip together in early May. It was the perfect hut trip: mix from a snowy start to great weather and skiing conditions. The snow up high was firm and stable in the a.m. We did hear lots of cracking below treeline in the afternoons. The decriptions of Pearl Basin are true – it reminded me of the Classic Haute Route from Chamonix! Get up there if you can but be patient…make sure you have the BC experience and wait for spring or a window of stable snow and good weather. This adventure is Colorado at its best…

]]> By: Chris Buckley http://www.wildsnow.com/1557/braun-huts-avalanches/comment-page-1/#comment-23205 Chris Buckley Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:58:20 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=1557#comment-23205 Trip Update - Due the the weather forecast, we changed our trip plans. A good thing in retrospect with all that snow in the Elk Mts. Several of our crew went in to the Skinner Hut instead. It was a much safer route (though long!) and we easily avoided the one slide path near the trail. We heard one crack/whoomph on the way out but no visible slides. Trip Update – Due the the weather forecast, we changed our trip plans. A good thing in retrospect with all that snow in the Elk Mts. Several of our crew went in to the Skinner Hut instead. It was a much safer route (though long!) and we easily avoided the one slide path near the trail. We heard one crack/whoomph on the way out but no visible slides.

]]> By: Chris Buckley http://www.wildsnow.com/1557/braun-huts-avalanches/comment-page-1/#comment-22847 Chris Buckley Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:54:40 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=1557#comment-22847 Thanks for the valuable insight on this forum. My crew is planning a Friend’s Hut trip (via Green Wilson) next week. I’ve already cancelled this trip in the past due to unstable avalanche conditions. After reading the disturbing trip report and keeping an eye on the snow pack and weather reports, we are seriously considering rescheduling until late spring when it is next available. I’d like to add some analysis for all to benefit and we’re hoping for more local information and guidance. Snow pack: According to CAIC, the snow pack has weak faceted layers in the Elk Mts. We’ve been watching it and it appears to be healing on S, SW and SE aspects below timberline. http://avalanche.state.co.us/pub_bc_avo.php?zone_id=5 Does anyone have information on the current snow conditions in the Castle Creek drainage? Is there enough windblown snow in the upper gullies for big slides to come all the way down and cover the road at this point? It doesn’t look like it has been warm enough to stabilize the snow pack up there. Weather: According to the CAIC forecast “The long range models promise a change in the weather next week as we enter into a stormy period.” This is our catch-22. No one really knows how much snow is predicted and it might not start until we get back in there. We may very well be in a similar situation as last year’s crew with a dilemma to stay put for a few extra days or get out quickly. We have a relatively experienced crew but none of us are avalanche experts nor have been to that area in winter. We want to enjoy this trip but safety is a priority. Has there been recent slide activity in that drainage? Is the most dangerous part the slides below Green Wilson or equally bad on the way up and over Pearl Pass? We will bail if the 5 day forecast calls for any significant amount of snow. Our team welcomes additional input…thank you! Thanks for the valuable insight on this forum. My crew is planning a Friend’s Hut trip (via Green Wilson) next week. I’ve already cancelled this trip in the past due to unstable avalanche conditions. After reading the disturbing trip report and keeping an eye on the snow pack and weather reports, we are seriously considering rescheduling until late spring when it is next available. I’d like to add some analysis for all to benefit and we’re hoping for more local information and guidance.

Snow pack:
According to CAIC, the snow pack has weak faceted layers in the Elk Mts. We’ve been watching it and it appears to be healing on S, SW and SE aspects below timberline.
http://avalanche.state.co.us/pub_bc_avo.php?zone_id=5

Does anyone have information on the current snow conditions in the Castle Creek drainage? Is there enough windblown snow in the upper gullies for big slides to come all the way down and cover the road at this point? It doesn’t look like it has been warm enough to stabilize the snow pack up there.

Weather:
According to the CAIC forecast “The long range models promise a change in the weather next week as we enter into a stormy period.” This is our catch-22. No one really knows how much snow is predicted and it might not start until we get back in there. We may very well be in a similar situation as last year’s crew with a dilemma to stay put for a few extra days or get out quickly.

We have a relatively experienced crew but none of us are avalanche experts nor have been to that area in winter. We want to enjoy this trip but safety is a priority. Has there been recent slide activity in that drainage? Is the most dangerous part the slides below Green Wilson or equally bad on the way up and over Pearl Pass? We will bail if the 5 day forecast calls for any significant amount of snow.

Our team welcomes additional input…thank you!

]]> By: Francisco Tharp http://www.wildsnow.com/1557/braun-huts-avalanches/comment-page-1/#comment-22307 Francisco Tharp Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:20:41 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=1557#comment-22307 I'm weighing in a little late on this, but i guess it's never too late to share learning, right? I was on that trip with Steve and Jake, and one thing I haven't seen mentioned yet on this thread is the fact that we could have chose not to go on the trip at all. We had access to accurate weather forecasts that could have sent our radars off. One thing I learned about myself was that at 23 years old, even being a "local" and having avalanche training (Level 1) and having skied for 7 years in the back country at that point, I was naive to the catastrophic potential of these slide paths. I simply had never seen a cycle that big and that energetic before, so I didn't experientially know it was possible. I knew, theoretically, that those slide paths go that big, but theoretical and experiential knowledge are different things all together. Like Steve mentioned, I gained a huge amount of respect for the power of snow and gravity. Skiing away in a whiteout from a powder blast was one of the scariest experiences of my life. Now I am much more tuned in to weather forecasts before a multi-day trip, and I am much more willing to call the whole endeavor off, if that's prudent. I agree with all the other analysis and assessment on this post. Thanks Lou, Steve, Jake, and others for chiming in. I’m weighing in a little late on this, but i guess it’s never too late to share learning, right? I was on that trip with Steve and Jake, and one thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet on this thread is the fact that we could have chose not to go on the trip at all. We had access to accurate weather forecasts that could have sent our radars off. One thing I learned about myself was that at 23 years old, even being a “local” and having avalanche training (Level 1) and having skied for 7 years in the back country at that point, I was naive to the catastrophic potential of these slide paths. I simply had never seen a cycle that big and that energetic before, so I didn’t experientially know it was possible. I knew, theoretically, that those slide paths go that big, but theoretical and experiential knowledge are different things all together. Like Steve mentioned, I gained a huge amount of respect for the power of snow and gravity. Skiing away in a whiteout from a powder blast was one of the scariest experiences of my life. Now I am much more tuned in to weather forecasts before a multi-day trip, and I am much more willing to call the whole endeavor off, if that’s prudent. I agree with all the other analysis and assessment on this post. Thanks Lou, Steve, Jake, and others for chiming in.

]]> By: Lou http://www.wildsnow.com/1557/braun-huts-avalanches/comment-page-1/#comment-12783 Lou Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:49:06 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=1557#comment-12783 Isaac, if you're a strong group why not just go via Richmond Ridge? Start by riding the gondola, stick some nordic wax on your skis and go go go. Isaac, if you’re a strong group why not just go via Richmond Ridge? Start by riding the gondola, stick some nordic wax on your skis and go go go.

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