Gunnison
AvalancheZach Guy · Dec 28, 2022 · Gunnison
Weather
Snowfall rates tapered to very light by mid morning. Calm winds.
Snowpack
About 7” to 9” of new snow, started out incohesive and sluffy and settled to slabbier as the day warmed up. By late morning, I started getting shooting cracks up to 20’ and triggered a few small soft slabs on test slopes, breaking on our most recent facet layer. More notable, I got several rumbling collapses in flatter terrain that failed on the depth hoar at the ground, about 3 feet deep. All of the steep pitches that I approached had either shed that more dangerous structure previously, or winds eroded it last week.
Avalanche
I ski triggered and saw a handful of natural loose dry avalanches this morning that entrained old snow, D1 in size. Later in the morning, I skier triggered a few soft slab avalanches with minor propagation, that failed on the 12/20 facet layer, about 10” deep.