Gunnison

Avalanche

Ben Pritchett · Apr 17, 2020 · Gunnison

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Weather

Rapid warm-up, ample sun, calm to light southwest winds.

Snowpack

Recent storm snow was lightly drifted one to two feet deep, on a layer of facets on easterly-facing slopes. Pushing on wind lips I found the drifts were stubborn and settling quickly, but on wind-sheltered sunny easterly slopes it was easy to push small slab avalanches on test slopes. In bigger terrain, one of these could run far and gain some momentum.

Avalanche

Widespread cycle of small avalanches near ridgeline in very steep terrain of the Ruby Range.