Gunnison

Snowpack

Eric Murrow · Jan 15, 2024 · Gunnison

Weather

During tour, from 1230 - 330pm, there was light snow with a few periods of moderate rates and gusty winds in open terrain below tree line.

Snowpack

I took several profiles on southerly terrain at low elevations. I commonly found 60 to 80 cm of snow above the 1/5 interface. The 1/5 interface was 1-1.5mm facets, with some small surface hoar, about 1.5cm thick sitting on top of a crust 3-5cm thick. This structure produced moderate propagating results (see profile). A second profile at the valley bottom on a northeast slope, adjacent to a recent natural avalanche, produced moderate propagating results. Here I chose to dig in a spot where the slab was thinner and softer about 50cm thick over the 1/5 facets. The very reactive storm slab problem from Sunday has quieted down with no propagating results in tests. Cracking only traveled a short distance from ski tips and was far less common than day before (storm instability in upper snowpack appears to be mellowing out). In flat terrain, with obvious basal depth hoar, I experienced a few rumbling collapses. On steeper southerly terrain, collapses were loud but did not travel nearly as far as flat terrain.