| Trigger | Natural | Remote Trigger | Unknown |
| Avalanche Type | Unknown | Aspect | Northeast |
| Elevation | 3700ft | Slope Angle | unknown |
| Crown Depth | unknown | Width | unknown |
| Vertical Run | 1500ft |
Avalanche: Summit
Location: Colorado
Toured up to top of treeline on E face of Colorado.
Avalanche Details
Saw a debris pile in one of the gullies along the E face of Colorado. The debris ran quite a ways downslope but stopped at alder line. Alpha angle was 27 degrees. We also saw a small avalanche in S aspect of Fresno and several more gullies with debris in them but the visibility was too poor to see the start zones.
Weather
Mostly cloudy but with occasional breaks in the cloud cover. Light winds at upper elevations and some snow being transported on the surface. Temperatures in the teens.
Snow surface
Below about 2400' there was a thick layer of surface facets and large surface hoar. At upper elevations there was a mix of wind transported snow and soft faceted surface snow with smaller grain size surface hoar.
Snowpack
Below 2400' the snowpack felt very weak. It was easy to penetrate to the ground with a ski pole. We felt a layer of melt freeze about 50cm down that likely has a similar layer of facets on top as what we have seen in Turnagain Pass. We found that layer to be the main concern in the snow pits we dug at 2900'. At that location the crust was buried 65 cm. We had no results on that layer in ECT's but did have hard results on a CT (27) and a moderate cut length in a PST (40/100 END).
Large and unique surface hoar grains at lower elevations in Summit Lake area.
Nancy sticking her head in the snow on the way up.
Smaller avalanche on the S face of Fresno at 3000'
PST slide on a weak layer of facets on top of a melt freeze crust (PST 40/100 end)
Larger avalanche in the gully on the left that ran about 1200' vertical feet.
Snowpit profile from Colorado in Summit Lake on 12.21.22