Gunnison
SnowpackBen Pritchett · Dec 27, 2022 · Gunnison
Weather
Skies transitioned from partly to mostly cloudy through the morning. Light southwesterly winds, gusting to moderate speeds by mid-day.
Snowpack
Weak snow surfaces, with large Surface Hoar grains found on all aspect below and near treeline.
South-facing slopes are covered in 4-6 mm Surface Hoar crystals, sitting on a stiff melt-freeze crust. This crust will need a heft load, like ~2 inches of water, to overload. I expect many small avalanches breaking above this crust on southerly-facing slopes in the first day or two of the upcoming storm.
The Surface Hoar is much larger on North and East-facing slopes below and near treeline, generally 8-12mm, but up to 30 cm in size in spots. These slopes will fail quickly during the expected avalanche cycle.
Westerly-facing slopes are covered with surface hoar, with a weak crust-facet sandwich beneath.
South-facing slopes are covered in 4-6 mm Surface Hoar crystals, sitting on a stiff melt-freeze crust. This crust will need a heft load, like ~2 inches of water, to overload. I expect many small avalanches breaking above this crust on southerly-facing slopes in the first day or two of the upcoming storm.
The Surface Hoar is much larger on North and East-facing slopes below and near treeline, generally 8-12mm, but up to 30 cm in size in spots. These slopes will fail quickly during the expected avalanche cycle.
Westerly-facing slopes are covered with surface hoar, with a weak crust-facet sandwich beneath.