Gunnison
AvalancheIan Havlick · Nov 3, 2014 · Gunnison
Snowpack
8-10 inches of recent storm snow falling on dry ground on southerly aspects near and above treeline,and all aspects at low elevations. Above treeline on northerly aspects, coverage is fairly discontinuous with the exception of a few heavily windloaded bowls and couloirs. On some of these slopes, the snowpack consisted of a stout basal crust from the early October storm, capped by a 2" layer of 1-2 mm facets under a thin, soft crust; remnants from the October 12 snowfall.
Avalanche
Two were skiers caught, carried, and partially buried in a 2 foot thick slab avalanche while booting up Jenga (north-facing above treeline couloir) on Mt. Owen near Kebler Pass. The avalanche started as a 6" thick storm slab that ran on a graupel layer over an early October crust. The whole chute cleaned out and ran 200-300 vertical feet beyond the bottom of the couloir. The skiers braced as the initial smaller slide ran past them, but then the whole slope cleared out catching the skiers and taking for a ride. The skiers were partially buried, uninjured, and lost a ski and poles.