Gunnison

Avalanche

Zach Guy · Dec 8, 2021 · Gunnison

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Weather

Weather: Light winds, clouds increased to overcast by 10 am. Very light snowfall started at 11 on our way out.

Snowpack

Snowpack: The few inches of Tuesday nights snow started faceting overnight, and is currently not bonded well to underlying melt freeze crusts. Thus, I expect aspects with a crusty 12/6 interface to be problematic with this incoming storm as well, at least in the short term. Shady aspects are already demonstrating their poor bonding to 12/6 with easily triggered pockets and cracking anywhere that there’s been enough wind transport for slab formation.

Avalanche

Avalanches: Skier triggered a few shallow wind slabs on crossloaded northeast aspects near and above treeline. Slabs were up to 10” thick, didn’t run far, and failed on the Dec 6 facet layer.