Gunnison
AvalancheJack Caprio · Feb 10, 2021 · Gunnison
Weather
Weather: Overcast skies with snowfall ranging from S-1 to S1. Noticeably warm temps.
Snowpack
We were interested to see how the snowpack in areas close to town would behave. Overall, the snowpack was quieter than expected. Average HS hovered around 100 cms and we generally found half the snowpack sitting on top of the mid January weak layer. We got 1 very loud rumbling collapse on a sub 30 degree NE facing slope, but did not see any associated shooting cracks. A snow pit test nearby the collapse gave us moderate propagating results failing on the 1/19 interface. As we continued to gain elevation, we surprisingly got no feedback from the snowpack. After walking around and jumping on the snow for a while with no results, we skied steep, supportive, aspen glades back to the car.
Avalanche
We took a look at the crown of a previous natural avalanche which ran last Saturday (2/6). The bed surface was the 1/19 interface (1.5-2 mm NSF). The crown was about about 45 to 50 cms. Recent snow accumulation since Saturday ranged from 10-15 cm’s so it was challenging to get an accurate representation of the crown.