Gunnison

The snowpack in this area sits higher in the terrain than the long-lasting Gunnison Valley cold-pool. The snowpack feels less faceted and stronger than in areas with similar snowpack depth that lie inside cold, steep-walled valleys.
Typical snowpack depth ranged from 100-130cm, although notably we found only ~70cm on steeper southerly-facing slopes.
Northerly-facing slopes held the typical wind-dappled soft, faceted surfaces that can produce loose avalanches. Basal weak layers were 4-finger or stiffer, with no concern for deep avalanches.
We found thin crusts on east and west-facing slopes below treeline, which would slow down and reduce the size of any loose avalanches. This structure would become a problem if thicker slabs develop in the future.
Southerly-facing slopes are well into a spring transition. We found ~7cm of mature poly-crystals on the surface, with ice lenses from frozen surface melt deep into the snowpack (although not to the ground yet).