Gunnison

Avalanche

Zach / Eric Guy / Murrow · Oct 22, 2021 · Gunnison

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Weather

Weather: Mild temps, thin scattered cloud cover. Light winds and no blowing snow.

Snowpack

This snow surface will be a future weak layer. In the Northwest Mountains, continuous snow coverage has survived on the northern half of the compass on most near and above treeline slopes, with thinner coverage below treeline. In the Southeast Mountains, coverage is also thinner with more ground roughness breaking up the continuity. The photos below exemplify current coverage. Near and above treeline, we found the snowpack has faceted throughout on shady aspects: 1 mm F to F+ facets. Snow depth on shady aspects is about 10 inches on average, with drifted areas up to 2 feet deep. The snowpack structure is entirely faceting on due north, with one or several thin crusts near the surface on NE and NW aspects. The snowpack transitions towards a homogenous layer of melt-freeze grains on west aspects. On southern aspects, coverage is spotty on all but the most snow-favored peaks in the Ruby Range

Avalanche

Avalanches: A small wet loose avalanche from recent warm temps.