Gunnison
AvalancheIan Hoyer · Jan 7, 2017 · Gunnison
Weather
Wild temperatures swings with the inversion in Taylor Park. Went from 20F at Denny Creek to -15F at Taylor Park Reservoir, then popped back out of the inversion in the upper Taylor River, back into the 20s. Mostly cloudy, with a few sunny periods thrown in throughout the day. No noticeable wind near or below treeline. Moderate SW winds above treeline.
Snowpack
The snowpack near the reservoir in Taylor Park is the most faceted and weak of an area I've seen this season. ~30-50 cm of depth hoar capped by a wind hardened snow. As we traveled into the upper Taylor and Italian Creek area, the snowpack become much deeper and stronger. Near treeline in Italian Creek the snowpack averaged ~180 cm. The new snow had bonded well and was consolidating. There were near surface facets underneath the new snow, but they non-reactive in tests. Only dug to the ground once, but found rounding 4 finger hardness, 2 mm depth hoar. The snowpack generally seemed strong and deep. No cracking or collapsing were encountered. Above treeline I did find patches with more well developed depth hoar in thin, scoured areas. There were also still ~18 inches of soft new snow on most slopes ATL, waiting to be transported. The west side of the Sawatch was still white, with no significant plumes seen today.
Avalanche
Saw a number of slides that all appeared to be Wind Slab avalanches. Mostly small. All were in obviously wind-loaded areas. Also, one very small Loose Dry avalanche on a E facing slope near treeline.