Gunnison

Avalanche

Zach Guy · Jan 9, 2014 · Gunnison

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Weather

Very light to light snow under overcast skies and calm winds. No snow transport observed at ridgeline.

Snowpack

Snowpack: 8” of storm snow in valley bottom up to 13” at ridgetop. Minimal signs of recent snow transport and low cohesion top to bottom. Basal weak layers unreactive in stability tests and showing improving structures. On northeast aspects: Reactive layer of surface hoar (buried Dec 31) on open, windprotected slopes below treeline. Buried ~15” deep, showing easy initiation and sudden collapse propagation in stability tests. Triggered a very small pocket on this layer on a steep rollover. As we gained elevation to near treeline slopes, this layer was buried deeper (2’ deep) and became more irregular due to wind affect, showing hard initiation and broken fractures in stability tests. On south aspects: Below treeline, the new snow is sitting on thin wind-loaded slab (4F) from earlier this week over the Dec 31st MFcr. Several crust/facet/crust sandwiches below that. Some facets above the uppermost crust, with varying degrees of rounding. As we moved towards ridgeline, the 4F slab increased in depth, up to 15” on previously windloaded slopes, with last night’s snow on top. Stability tests showed hard initiation and irregular fractures on the rounding facet layer above the crust about 2 feet down. See snow profiles

Avalanche

We skier triggered and observed a couple natural small pockets in the new snow, harmless in size. Also a large number of natural sluffs, but nothing larger than D1’s.