Crested Butte Backcountry Report: Mid-November
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Winter gave a little tease in October, but the first November storm made winter more official. By the first weekend of November, snow surrounded us, and the backcountry was getting reliably good enough to ski.
I headed out with Alex on the Friday before that weekend, as the storm was supposedly waning. But, as you can tell, it was still a full-fledged blizzard.
We ventured above treeline, seeking out better snow. But, visibility was pretty poor.
The skiing was good up high, but again difficult to see. Nonetheless, we enjoyed about 2 feet of fresh blower powder, and I have about 40 pictures that look exactly like this one 🙂
The next week, Frank headed out with Alex for his first day of the season. It was a bluebird and beautiful day.
Yule Pass in the distance.
Despite a wind even that had come in and impacted much of the snow, they found creamy pow on north-facing shaded and protected aspects. Alex.
The next day, I headed out again with Alex, and our friends Jenny and Josh. We hit up yet another zone on Baldy that had seen a slide earlier in the week, just after the big storm. Conditions had stabilized by then, the powder was great, and we pulled off multiple laps in the bowl.
Jenny.
Can you even see her in there?
Josh.
Alex.
I’d say we farmed it up pretty well 🙂
While good skiing can be found in the Crested Butte backcountry, conditions are still thin. Facets have been forming after each storm, which have already lead to instabilities and will continue to pose problems for weeks to come. For the latest updates, make sure to check the Crested Butte Avalanche Center observations and forecasts. Updates have been occurring for a few weeks now, and daily advisories will begin on Nov. 21st.
Hope to see you out in the Crested Butte backcountry!
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