Gunnison

Avalanche

(Public) Crested Butte Avalanche Center · Apr 8, 2020 · Gunnison

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Weather

Sunny, Breezy

Snowpack

The snow had a good refreeze from the night before, even in the valley at 10,000ft. The diamond face struggled to warm with the SW breeze. A few hundred feet from the summit the snow had started to corn up. The corn continued until the valley, and was supportable until around 2 or 2:30.

Avalanche

Skier caught and carried, was able to ski free from moving avalanche to safety. Avalanche broke above skier on the west side of a roll in cold snow. Slid on the ground, then popped up on to the snow surface when it reached deeper snow. Avalanche did not gouge or step down. Avalanche was approximately 20 inches of snow on a smooth rock surface. The debris ran for about 600 feet. The avalanche occurred about halfway down the face at approximately 11800.