Gunnison
AvalancheZach Guy · Mar 4, 2025 · Gunnison
Weather
Storm totals varied from a few inches along valley floor of the Slate to about a foot near treeline. Moderate to strong northwesterly winds once we reached ridgetop, with periods of moderate to intense blowing snow. Snowfall rates this morning were generally moderate (S3) with a few stronger pulses. cloud cover: overcast; wind loading: intense; rain elevation (ft): N/A; recent snowfall (cm): 30; snow avail for transport: moderate amounts
Snowpack
Wind slabs were breaking on a low-density storm layer about 1cm above the 3/3 storm interface - a melt-freeze crust on all but northerly aspects. The crust is thick and supportive on east and southeast aspects BTL, and thinner and more collapsible on ENE aspects NTL. This crust collapsed and propagated during ECT isolation, suggesting it could be a persistent issue with more loading. No slabbiness observed in sheltered terrain this morning. I sense that the persistent slab problem is unlikely in wind-sheltered terrain below 11,000' here. Slabs are fairly thick and uniform away from the wind, and the 2/8 weak layer has gained notable strength. See profile, which I dug on a steep slope just above a Cupid Crusher crown. I suspect this slope ran during Thanksgiving but not during the holiday cycle. . Shooting cracks localized to fresh drifts in leeward terain from 1' to 2' deep. Crack lengths varied from a few feet to 20' or so.
Avalanche
We intentionally skier-triggered two wind slabs up to 18" thick on leeward terrain features near treeline. Poor visibility of surrounding terrain.