Gunnison
AvalancheBen Pritchett and Zach Kinler · Mar 14, 2022 · Gunnison
Weather
Sunny day following a brief overnight storm that deposited snow on top of the bed surface for this avalanche.
Snowpack
In addition to the fracture-line profiles, we looked briefly at a southweast facing slope below treeline, around 9,800'. The overnight snow, and ~1 foot-thick layer above the early March crust snowpack were moist. Both layers above and below the crust were well-bonded. The upper side of the crust was moist, but the lower side of the crust remained dry.
Avalanche
A snowboarder released this avalanche when they landed an air near the top of the east to northeast-facing slope. The crown fracture broke up slope of the rider. A second slab broke free sympathetically down slope with another, crown below the rider. The rider stayed in front of the avalanche and never touched moving debris.
The pair of slabs ran as a single dry slab avalanche big enough to bury a person.
The avalanche released below the dusty slab, breaking on large-grained facets formed during the February dry spell. The portion of the slope between the two distinct slabs avalanched near February 23rd, so the slab was much thinner.
The pair of slabs ran as a single dry slab avalanche big enough to bury a person.
The avalanche released below the dusty slab, breaking on large-grained facets formed during the February dry spell. The portion of the slope between the two distinct slabs avalanched near February 23rd, so the slab was much thinner.