Gunnison
AvalancheZach Guy · Jan 6, 2024 · Gunnison
Weather
Big disparity in storm totals, from 40 cm at Ohio Pass and top of AMR, down to 10 cm at the top of the Playground.
Snowpack
Some skier triggered sluffing on slopes steeper than 40*. I triggered one collapse and shooting cracks 30' long on an old snow layer while skinning through low angle easterly facing terrain at the bottom of the Playground. I suspect this was on the 12/7 SH layer, about 55 cm deep, though my hand pit was inconclusive. Observations focused on the storm interface, buried 10 to 40 cm deep under low-density snow lacking a slab at the moment. The weakest and largest-grained facets that I found were on E to ESE facing terrain on the south side of the Playground; perhaps from larger diurnal swings and a shallower snowpack there. Thin, collapsible crusts start to appear on the transition from E to SE, and those crusts get thicker, supportive to skis, and can handle a larger load transitioning from SE to S aspects. Wind-exposed northerly aspects have firm wind crusts of varying thickness over small-grained facets (can handle a larger load). Wind-sheltered northerly terrain has weak, small-grained facets at the storm interface, which will be more problematic than the windboard.
Avalanche
Numerous very small sluffs and storm slabs ran during last night's snowfall, though most of them only slumped a short distance and were completely harmless. A couple ran far enough to knock someone over or carry them.