Gunnison
SnowpackEric Murrow · Dec 26, 2023 · Gunnison
Weather
Cold temperatures but tolerable. Moderate winds with some occasional strong gusts at upper elevations. Cloud cover increased through out the day.
Snowpack
A couple of drifts along the Emmons up track cracked while we walked across. These drifts were in flat terrain above the ridge and the steep northeasterly slopes below were scoured by recent winds. We produced some shooting cracks on small terrain features low in Redwell Basin where the wind drifted soft slabs behind terrain breaks. We dug two profiles. The first was on a W/NW - facing slope near treeline that produced ECTN-hard results on basal facets (see image). We skinned through a section of terrain similar to the first profile site without signs of instability and pole probing suggested the 'midpack' slab was generally 4 finger hard. The second was east-facing below treeline, targeting buried surface hoar, which produced ECTN-moderate results (see image). In wind-sheltered areas, the biggest issue appeared to be small loose avalanches from a weak snowpack. Northerly winds moved snow around at upper elevations on Mount Emmons, but Wind Slab formation appeared to be isolated across this terrain. Testing suspect features produced a mix of reactive and stubborn results underfoot. While climbing Emmons we watched northerly winds stripping snow off of Mount Axtel's northerly bowls and blow it to the southwest side.