The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) has made a call to the public asking for observations when out in the mountains. CAIC produces daily avalanche forecasts for 27,656 square miles of Colorado, and none of those would be possible without the help of the public.
Since the beginning of October, only 13 public field reports have been shared on the CAIC website, five of which were created by the Crested Butte Avalanche Center. While daily forecasts haven’t started yet, they are set to begin just a few days from now on November 1.
CAIC asks that you report if you saw avalanches, weather info (wind moving snow, if it was snowing or sunny), signs of instability (shooting cracks, whumpfing, etc.), and signs of stability if you recreate in the mountains and come across snow. Observations can be submitted to the CAIC website or to the free CAIC smartphone app.
The CAIC exists in the Colorado Department of Natural Resources as a partnership with Department of Transportation and the Friends of the CAIC, a 501c3 group. In addition to providing detailed avalanche forecasts and public observations, CAIC works towrards education and the promotion of research to limit the loss of life and property due to avalanches in the state.