Gunnison

Avalanche

Eric Murrow · Feb 16, 2024 · Gunnison

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Observation photo 1Observation photo 2

Weather

Moderate westerly winds with strong gusts transporting snow near treeline. Settled storm totals in sheltered areas range from 11 to 14 inches. Mostly light snowfall with shorter periods of moderate.snowfall.

Snowpack

Obvious signs of wind loading on near treeline terrain features with some minor cracking and recent avalanche activity on Schuylkill Ridge point to dangerous conditions on drifted terrain. The 2/2 weak layer (surface hoar on westerly slopes) in this area is buried about 80cm deep and didn't make any noise in sheltered areas.

Avalanche

Several large natural avalanches on Schuylkill Ridge's up-valley end in the "Great Wide Open" area. Poor visibility prevented seeing much terrain. I didn't observe any natural activity on Happy Chutes or Climax Chutes.