Gunnison
AvalancheBen Pritchett · Mar 19, 2022 · Gunnison
Weather
Chilly start with quick warm up late morning. Scattered high-thin clouds.
Snowpack
We found an average snowpack depth around 200cm in wind-sheltered terrain near treeline. Above treeline the snowpack is highly variable with many wind-swept areas only 100-150cm deep.
Surprisingly we only experienced one booming collapse on slab that was softer in the afternoon than when we travelled over it during the morning. This occurred with two sleds close together on a westerly-facing slope around 2:30pm. The slope was just too low angle to avalanche. Otherwise the snowpack stayed eerily quiet all day.
Snow surfaces moistened below 10,000', but we found no fresh meltwater at the snow surface at upper elevations.
Surprisingly we only experienced one booming collapse on slab that was softer in the afternoon than when we travelled over it during the morning. This occurred with two sleds close together on a westerly-facing slope around 2:30pm. The slope was just too low angle to avalanche. Otherwise the snowpack stayed eerily quiet all day.
Snow surfaces moistened below 10,000', but we found no fresh meltwater at the snow surface at upper elevations.
Avalanche
We saw no recent avalanches other than some minor loose shedding out of very steep rocky slopes.