Gunnison
AvalancheMike Barney · Feb 22, 2021 · Gunnison
Weather
20 mph northerly winds gusting 50 at 7am let up to light winds by midday on Scarp Ridge. A few clouds and strong solar warmed the snow surface on east to south through west-facing terrain near and below treeline.
Snowpack
140 to 160 cm of snow at Irwin with more and less in wind affected areas. The 4" that fell yesterday was whipped into shallow wind slabs that were only producing small avalanches 10 feet wide on slopes over 35 degrees. With explosive work the last two days the patrol triggered 3 large slides on west-facing terrain near treeline. This terrain has seen little traffic and minimal or no explosive work this season. A below treeline snowpit on a west aspect showed a visible layer of facets that were at the bottom 56cm of the snowpack. No propagating results were observed on this layer 113cm down from the surface.
Avalanche
I observed one recent natural wind slab avalanche on an easterly aspect above treeline in the Ruby Range.