Thread: Official Dry Gulch Thread

I want to make an official thread! Everyone's doing it!

Srsly, I think I'll just go up into Dry Gulch every day this week. Anyone wants to join me, just shoot a pm.

Today I walked up the side of Bethel, to get a little peek in there.


North facing gully on Trelease look filled in:


SE face of Snoopy has barely enough snow


I don't even know what you call this, it's between Hagaar and Loveland, but it is really filled in east facing - looks like good corn turns to be had this week


More to come...

I clicked on this thread fully expecting all sorts of NWS models, webcams, radar pictures, etc.

Originally Posted by SCUTSKI

I clicked on this thread fully expecting all sorts of NWS models, webcams, radar pictures, etc.

Sorry, I'm of the walk around and look at it school.

NOICE! Hit me up if you don't feel like going alone next time... I need a break from work!

Originally Posted by SheRa

Sorry, I'm of the walk around and look at it school.

It appears so. I definitely appreciate the pretty pictures far more than the current forecast.

Originally Posted by SCUTSKI

It appears so. I definitely appreciate the pretty pictures far more than the current forecast.

Well hell, you shamed me into doing some homework:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. West southwest wind between 3 and 5 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 46. West southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. West wind between 8 and 10 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. West northwest wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. West wind between 9 and 13 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 22.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Nice, thanks for the pics, great info for this weekend possibly for a desk jocky like myself.

Originally Posted by SheRa

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. West southwest wind between 3 and 5 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 46. West southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. West wind between 8 and 10 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. West northwest wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. West wind between 9 and 13 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 22.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Fuck, it's like God is teabagging Colorado.

nice mir. I'm stoked to get out with you this season. Tania is coming after thanksgiving, because her brother is suffering from crohn's disease. I hope by the time she comes back snow will be in the forecast or on the ground. Hope to see you guys soon!

Originally Posted by stihletto

nice mir. I'm stoked to get out with you this season. Tania is coming after thanksgiving, because her brother is suffering from crohn's disease. I hope by the time she comes back snow will be in the forecast or on the ground. Hope to see you guys soon!

That's very sad about her brother.

I definitely want to come over to Berthoud, maybe after the next storm, whenever that will be...

Originally Posted by SheRa

Well hell, you shamed me into doing some homework:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. West southwest wind between 3 and 5 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 46. West southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. West wind between 8 and 10 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. West northwest wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. West wind between 9 and 13 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 22.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

That forecast made me cry.

Originally Posted by SheRa

I don't even know what you call this, it's between Hagaar and Loveland, but it is really filled in east facing - looks like good corn turns to be had this week

tomorrow anyone?

So, start down the same valley as if I were going to ski hagar, and instead of hiking along the ridge to get to the boomerang, stay in the valley until this pops up in front of me?

Originally Posted by couloirman

tomorrow anyone?

So, start down the same valley as if I were going to ski hagar, and instead of hiking along the ridge to get to the boomerang, stay in the valley until this pops up in front of me?

Yup, exactly. It's looker's left of Hagar.

I was thinking of climbing up Trelease from the trailhead and skiing that north gully. It might still feel a little powdery tomorrow.

I also know there is good snow on the south facing saddle between Hagar and Snoopy. Big snowfield that I could see from Loveland/Pass.

How fast will that higher stuff corn up? Does it need a couple of days? I also wonder what time to be on it for the nicest turns.

It's kinda far - it would probably take me 3 hours to get to the top of anything, edit - maybe 4

Originally Posted by SheRa

It's kinda far - it would probably take me 3 hours to get to the top of anything.

yeah, I need the exercise anyway and am looking for something wide open like that to ski right now. no sleds allowed back there then? or maybe those trees are too tight for easy sled access anyway...

I'm pretty sure you can't sled back there. You'd have a hard time getting through the trees with a sled anyway, but maybe. It's a bushwhack to get all the way to the back, but not too bad - probably a little squirrelly right now since it's not filled in. That bowl is fun, and it's an easy boot to the top of Hagar while you're there.

Originally Posted by FrankZappa

Little did he know . . .

Originally Posted by stihletto

nice mir. I'm stoked to get out with you this season. Tania is coming after thanksgiving, because her brother is suffering from crohn's disease. I hope by the time she comes back snow will be in the forecast or on the ground. Hope to see you guys soon!

i realize i don't know you or your friends, but my crohn's has been shitastic for the last 2-3 weeks and i'm getting real annoyed at it (first time in 3+ years it's been this bad), so i've got some sort of far off empathetic feelings for your friends' brother.

Originally Posted by SheRa

Nice shot of Trelease. You can still make out the late 1800's logcut.

The little sunlite knob in the middle of the photo down near the valley floor is the site of where two local snowboard adventure boys, dropped a sizeable avalanche. It almost caught a couple of ski tourers that were ascending to the lookers left of the knob.

Over to lookers right, in the shadow you can see a gladed slope. This is the site of an avalanche fatality back in the February early 90's. The two ski tourers where below the slope when it ripped out. The lady was buried. The guy was partaly buried, but the shovel on the back of his pack was ripped off his pack. He searched and searched for his girlfriend with his transceiver. But, he had no shovel to dig her out with. In the end he found her pack, which was ripped off her. Inside the pack was her shovel. He dug her out and she was dead. He skied out and came to Loveland ski area. We recovered her body late that night during the storm. Side note: we snowmobiled and drove snowcats into the accident site. As we where driving the road to the summer gate, the entire bank along the road from the bridge to the gate avalanched...

Originally Posted by SheRa

This triangle face is the site of the fatal avalanche accident on Feb 17, 2003. It took a day and a half to recover the victim's body. The avalanche debris where so tightly packed around him we had to chop the snow around him.

Frank Zappa, check your topo drawing closer. Your proposed Poma line goes up through a 20 - 30' cliffband.

SheRa, remember early thin snowpacks are VERY weak. The Kitchen Wall on Loveland Pass proves that....

Originally Posted by SheRa

This face rips out all the time. Its a major windloaded slope...

Dry Gulch can be a really cool place under the right conditions....

Halsted, your stories are fascinating. Hurts to think of those people. That must be so hard for you to remember.

What do you think about a corn cycle on south and east slopes in there? How many days to mature do you think? Saturday was clear and cold, Sunday 10 degrees warmer and today warmer again. The nights are cold.

Could tomorrow be ok? What time of day do you think?

What to you think about skiing shallow vs deeper and potentially more loaded?

Do you think we might get into some wet activity with this weather?

Originally Posted by SheRa

Halsted, your stories are fascinating. Hurts to think of those people. That must be so hard for you to remember.

What do you think about a corn cycle on south and east slopes in there? How many days to mature do you think? Saturday was clear and cold, Sunday 10 degrees warmer and today warmer again. The nights are cold.

I really don't think at 12,500' you'll get warm enough to go to real corn snow. There will be just enough of a breezy to keep the surface cool and besides the sun is a low seasonal angle. So solar imput is fairly low.

Originally Posted by SheRa

Could tomorrow be ok? What time of day do you think?

I don't know... But, I think you'll have a nice walk, to find out. Dig a couple of pits and let us know.... I wish the CAIC Loveland CSI was working. Last I checked (Friday) it wasn't.

Originally Posted by SheRa

What to you think about skiing shallow vs deeper and potentially more loaded?

Both suck and can be real avalanche problems with the current conditions, "deeper" is very relative at the momment = Did you read Telejustins snowpit info from the Kitchen Wall fracture profile. Basiclly, the fracture line profile was less the 70 cm. Remember your weight (even on you're fattest skis will penetrate about 60 -80 cm into the snowpack. So, if there are any weak/gliding layers you are going to affect them.....

Remember the four ingredents to a avalanche? What is #3??
1) steep enough slope +30 degrees
2) a weak layer (and during early season enough snow to mitiagate surface ruffness)
3) ???????
4) a trigger (natural or artifical)

Originally Posted by SheRa

Do you think we might get into some wet activity with this weather?

Not unless it gets super super warm.......

HM

Originally Posted by Hacksaw

Remember the four ingredents to a avalanche? What is #3??
1) steep enough slope +30 degrees
2) a weak layer (and during early season enough snow to mitiagate surface ruffness)
3) ???????
4) a trigger (natural or artifical)

snow cover/a slab over the weak layer

Originally Posted by couloirman

a slab over the weak layer?

CORRECT!!!

You win a cookie.....

Originally Posted by SheRa

Hurts to think of those people. That must be so hard for you to remember.

I don't think about each one a lot. But, there are times I wake-up in the middle of the night.

But, they remind me when I'm making decisions about potential avalanche situations....