Gunnison

Avalanche

Zach Guy · Dec 22, 2014 · Gunnison

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Weather

Constant snowfall all day yesterday and into this morning, S2 to S3 on average, with moderate to strong west winds. Whiteout conditions.

Snowpack

Heavy wind transport made for variable storm snow distribution across terrain, typically from 15"-24" deep, some drifts easily 3ft deep. Very slabby, dense, and top heavy over lower density snow from last week, over the facets or crusts that formed early December. Some cracking observed on southerly aspects. Very wide running crack (over 300 feet wide) triggered when approaching a north facing slope.

Avalanche

We avoided avalanche terrain and had poor vis to view paths like Coney's or Gothic. Some very small road-cut avalanches observed, failing on mid storm layers.