Gunnison
AvalancheZach Guy · Jan 11, 2025 · Gunnison
Weather
10" of new low density snow at 11,000' on Purple Ridge, with smaller totals down valley. Light transport where we traveled below treeline. We could hear stronger winds at higher elevations; visibility was limited to observe wind transport.
Snowpack
The big northerly wind event on Thursday and Friday reduced the distribution of the persistent slab problem; the holiday slab was eroded on a number of the northerly slopes that we targeted; however cross loading added to slabs on easterly aspects and also made those slabs denser/harder. Stability tests and targeted stomping on suspect slopes, thin areas, and slopes that avalanched in Thanksgiving didn't produce any notable results in the Upper Slate. In the Lower Slate, hard stomps would produce slope scale collapses on some slopes; other more exposed slopes lost their slab to wind erosion and wouldn't collapse.
Avalanche
Brief afternoon views of Schuylkill Ridge revealed a recent D1.5 persistent slab on a crossloaded east aspect that likely ran during the big wind event on 1/9 or 1/10.