Winter has made an abrupt arrival in Crested Butte, with back-to-back winter storms hitting us over the past 2 weeks, leaving us with 5 feet of fresh snow to start off December. With the sudden arrival of all this snow, we have also been brought our first cycle of avalanche danger, and perfectly in time for the beginning of our avalanche course season, bringing us a very real-life learning and educational situation of which to teach from and experience in the Crested Butte back-country.

The first weekend in December saw Crested Butte Mountain Guides running two separate AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Classes to full capacity; one an open enrollment course and the other a college specific course targeted at the local Western State College back-country community in Gunnison. And just in time, as the first storm of the season arrived on the third day, the field-touring day of the course, in which we were able to see the beginnings of our first avalanche cycle of the 09/10 season first hand.

Then as another major winter storm slammed into Crested Butte again this past weekend we held two more AIARE Avalanche Courses, our super popular 1-day Avalanche Refresher Course & another sold-out Level 1 Hut Course in nearby Gothic, CO. Bluebird skies were overhead on Day 1 as we made our way to the hut on Friday, only to find ourselves breaking trail in nearly 2 feet of fresh snow and a raging blizzard on Sunday.

The local Maroon Cabin in Gothic, CO makes for an ideal retreat of which to learn the basics of avalanche education. Situated amidst some of the largest avalanche paths in Colorado, it is a state of the art, new age ‘hut’ with in-floor heat, electricity, running water (usually), and even wireless Internet of which to study weather and avalanche reports. All with the Elk Mountains just out the door, allowing for immediate immersion in the winter mountain environment from which to study snow stability, practice companion rescue, and plan and prep for the courses back-country tours.

This week CBMG will be running our first AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course of the season, and another completely sold out course. With some clear weather on the way we should have some excellent snowpack dynamics to study in the wake of the past two storms, and enjoyable weather of which to go touring and stand around in snow pits looking at snow grains and performing snow stability evaluations.

Also, NEW this year is our classroom space located in the conference room at the Grand Lodge hotel at the base of the ski resort in Mount Crested Butte, CO. Having run one course out of here already it is turning out to be a fairly ideal classroom with easy access to local trailheads, gear shops at the base of the resort, and lots of good coffee and restaurants in walking distance. As well as offering available lodging discounts just down the hall from your classroom, it is as easy as it gets for visiting folks to learn about avalanches in the place that AIARE (American Institute For Avalanche Research & Education) got it’s founding from.

Unfortunately, the beginnings of the winter and avalanche season, have also brought it’s first casualty of the season, when world-renowned Canadian ice climber, Guy Lacelle, was killed in a small avalanche this past weekend outside of Bozeman, MT in Hyalite Canyon, while taking part in their seasonal Ice Festival.  Our thoughts go out to his wife, friends, and family. Read more….

Here’s looking forward to a great season of classes, guided ski and climbing day, and safe back-country travels all around…..

—JSJ