Gunnison

Snowpack

Evan Ross · Feb 23, 2015 · Gunnison

Weather

WEATHER: Overcast sky was breaking up in the afternoon. A frew s-1 snow showers through out the day. Strong solar through thin clouds was creating a green housing effect. Calm wind throughout the day.

Snowpack

SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Green housing and some solar warmed the snow surface and created a 1-2cm crust by the afternoon. Had pits along the way found generally good bonding between the new/old snow interface as well as the new snow lacking a cohesive slab. HST at 11,000ft was 40-45cm. BTL south facing slopes grater then 30 degrees and below 10,000ft where bare of snow before this storm. Ski cuts on a small shaded slope BTL that was about 35 degrees produced small storm slab avalanches on the old snow surface about 15 feet wide. Observed several loose snow avalanches on a steep easterly slope near treeline that looked to set down into the facets below. These D1.5 sloughs may have failed naturally or where skier triggered from the ridge above.