Gunnison
Snowpackzach Guy · Mar 3, 2012 · Gunnison
Weather
Temps rose from below zero this morning to the teens at the lower study plot and single digits at ridgetop. Winds were from the W to NW, increasing this afternoon to moderate with gusts in the 40s with significant wind transport. Few to scattered skies. Trace accumulation overnight and today.
Snowpack
Explosive work on above treeline terrain on E and W aspects. No results on east aspects. On west aspects, the only result was a 3lb hand charge that pulled out a thin wind slab that stepped down about 18" to the Feb 28 interface and ran to the valley floor. HS-AE-R3D2-I Snow profile in the upper snowpack on an east aspect showed a strong bond to the Feb 28 interface, with no propagation or clean shears and was consistent with no explosive results in similar aspects. A profile on a higher west aspect showed a shallow snowpack with several concerning faceted layers and easy propagation results on a faceted layer near the ground. Lower aprons showed 4-10" of creamy snow well bonded to old wind crusts, but stiffening and turning upside down quickly.