Gunnison
SnowpackCBAC Staff · Feb 23, 2023 · Gunnison
Weather
Overcast, light winds in the trees. Light snowfall, with about 3? since yesterday, bringing settled storm totals up to about a foot.
Snowpack
Skier triggered a large, rumbling collapse that failed on weak facets about 3? deep. The collapse and shooting cracks wrapped from N to NE aspects around 10,850? and would have produced a dangerous persistent slab avalanche on a steeper slope. This terrain has seen a fair number of skiers in the past month, and we skinned across the top of it yesterday without any signs of instability. I suspect this slope had a relatively shallow and weaker snowpack through January due to previous avalanche activity and/or wind erosion from northerly winds. Minimal cracking in the storm snow today while riding in wind protected terrain.