Gunnison

Quick report

Irwin Guides · Jan 25, 2026 · Gunnison

Weather

HST: 25.0"/1.45". Moisture from the NW pushed through this afternoon with strong winds and cold temperatures. Wind chill values were in the -25 to -30 range. Light snow accumulation with the cold temps and poor visibility this afternoon.

Snowpack

Slope angle seemed to be the critical factor. Slabs are soft and lacked enough cohesion to be much of an issue on W aspects BTL. Only on slope angles steeper than 35 deg. were we able to get any cracking or snow to move with either ski cuts or HE tests. The density change in the upper snow pack is noticeable but ski quality is still good. SE aspects loading was Specific to ridge tops with minimal cross loading mid slope. Lot's of visible transport all day. Summary: Good powder skiing although slightly challenging with a slightly denser layer near the surface. Cold temps are keeping travel slow as well as deep snow making lower angle terrain slow if you cannot keep your speed up.

Avalanche

Stiffer thick wind slabs up to 4' thick on SE facing ridge lines. Everything is failing on small FC on top of the crust buried by this storm. Bender SS-AE-R1-D1-O FC (120cm x 20m x 125m) JB Jungle SS-AE-R1-D1-O FC (30cm x 15m x 40m)