Gunnison
AvalancheBen Pritchett · Jan 17, 2024 · Gunnison
Weather
S1 most of the day. No noticeable wind in the valley bottom.
Snowpack
The recent storm snow settled into a 3+ foot soft slab over a very weak base. Collapsing was continuous under the weight of a snowmobile. I could watch the snowpack in front of me drop every 20 or 30 feet as I broke trail up the valley. Extended Column Tests propagated on the first few taps from the wrist in depth hoar (ECTP2-4). We chose to avoid travel in avalanche terrain, albeit small avalanche terrain. The risk of a 3' deep slab piling onto us on the road was too great.
Avalanche
Saw a couple of avalanches that hit Cement Creek Road in the middle Cement area. One in the lower narrows, just below Cement Creek Ranch, and one mid-way through Middle Cement that just dusted the road. Most of the debris hung up in the track.